So you're saying that eventually Stern Insider Connected is going to be able to mansplain the machine to me?

You would think users would be automatically logged out when a game is over.

Having just tried it, you wouldn’t want that. It’s a very nice feature that you stay logged in until you’re done with all the games you intend to play. After you’re done just hold a flipper button to log out.

The whole system was quite good. Only hiccup was that my phone screen wasn’t bright enough to start and it wouldn’t scan. Once the app is out I’m sure they will force max brightness on that screen like other QR codes do.

100%. it would be much worse if you had to re-scan your phone before every game you play. very simple to log out. pressing and holding the flipper button speeds up the logout timer, and takes about only 3 seconds.

I think this could have used a bit more testing before they rolled it out. I was playing GZ today and my scores/achievements never showed up on my account (even though I was logged in and the game even auto-filled my name for the high score I got), and then I went back and played 3 more games which DO show up but with a date of Oct 10th. Although maybe the date/time is set wrong on the machine and that's what causes that one?

Might have missed it, but is there a monthly fee for Insider Connect support?

Regards

Having used IC since my GZ arrived last Tuesday, have to say I'm a big fan. The achievements are really cool in my opinion and I also like that you don't have to enter initials after a good game (admittedly, not typically a problem I have).
IC gives you the ability to record your high score and keep it with you at all times. Get together with a buddy and you can say: "Look at this!", comparing scores with them. Still, it's the achievements that I think are the most worthwhile. I truly anticipate playing the game differently after I've owned it for awhile. "Forget the scoring, I'm going to focus on destroying 5 buildings in a single game!"
I dunno if I'd spend $ to retrofit existing games just yet, but I also recognize that there's big plans for IC and we'll learn a little more next weekend.
I'd love if it better connected players such that you could play against someone you know, at another location. ie: 4 buddies connect via IC one night and all own the same game, allowing them to play a few games together that shows all players scores, and/or a mini tournament.
Fingers are crossed for some great things to come.

""Had you projected the ball along the proper trajectory, you would have been rewarded. -Thank you, Mr. Data"

$200? that's £145 UK, so I guess it'll probably be £250-£300 here. I'm out.

250€ in Finland, said our distributor.

We already had that ability with Pindigo, plus you can form groups so if you want to auto-brag to your buddies you just tag the group you made and they get a notification.

Lots of interesting things Stern can do and we’ll think up more as the tech matures.

I'm guessing like an official topper, the IC will add value to every machine when it's on the used market so it's not like that money disappeared.

Big difference is that it the user needs to do nothing except initially log in. Recording scores after the fact manually by typing, taking a photo, and saving isn't the same.

I'm still not clear if a monthly fee will be required for Insider Connected, like there is for Scorbit, can someone please clarify ? I tried to find the information, but did not see a clear statement

If a fee is required, then the value add over Scorbit is rather low, since I would prefer a single user interface that would work across several machines (not just Spike2), plus allowing me to transfer the unit from machine to machine (with appropriate adapters).

If no fee, then this makes more sense as this become an integral part of the Pinball experience

As of right now, there is no fee as far as I am aware. However Stern has announced that there are two tiers of accounts, the "Insider Connected" (free) and "Insider Connected All Access" (paid, currently $40 a year I think). Exactly what will be in one tier vs the other hasn't been made clear at this point.

No fees. I think for players that will remain. I think once they introduce the Pro Operator features, they may start charging them for some of the extra stuff.

They seem to be generally following what video games did. I would expect a monthly charge to be required when they add any kind of head to head or online play. I can't imagine them trying to charge just for achievements and basic stat tracking for users.

there is also an PRO tier (free for now)

Currently they haven't made the case to continue the $40 all-access:
* early access to podcasts - cool but not worth paying for
* "access to exclusive forum discussions" What is this? Maybe they only allow Stern employees in these subsections of the upcoming forum?
* exclusive behind the scenes content - mostly window dressing but getting better lately.
* access to purchase LE machines directly from stern - I am calling BS on this. Mando and Godzilla were both sold out instantly on the site. IF they really had any available for only insiders it was a microscopic quantity.
* No goodie box for existing members

The $40 really has nothing to do with the Insider Connected platform currently. Maybe at expo they will try to give more details about both.

It’s a forum where you can chat with the stern team about the game.

That’s worth 40 per year alone imo.

Did you guys look at the new achievements yet? I was looking at deadpool and it had a "join the hive" achievement and its play a 4 player connected game! Doesn't say if its vs or co-op tho.

Just means play with 3 other people where they all are signed into the game via connected I believe.

Really? Ya think?! Lame! I guess I was expecting more cuz they're both George's babys ya know..meaning the game and ic.

Co op is co op. Connected is connected. It’s pretty clear in the achievement.

Pretty sure Gomez said on the Marco pinball stream that the forums would be free.

Good session - worth a watch.
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1183078563

Something I just noticed while looking at the Deadpool achievements is that there are Platinum level lifetime achievements that are not currently listed. How I found this is I wanted to see what the achievements looked like without the opaque masking so I could see the colour. The achievement for Disco Multiball seemed out of place and sure enough it is the wrong image and the file name is "Achievement-Deadpool-DiscoLoopsPlatinum.png"

I checked all 4 of the Lifetime achievements for DP and they all have a Platinum variant. I checked TMNT and Godzilla but they don't have these assets so maybe it was planned and dropped.

Regardless, the icons are wrong on the DP Achievement page for:
* Berserker Rage
* Katanarama
* Disco Multiball

You can see what they should be here:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/deadpool-owners-club-free-chimichangas-for-all/page/219#post-6571741

Looks like Stern has all kinds of games set up for Insider Connected tomorrow!

20211027_193113 (resized).jpg20211027_193116 (resized).jpg

20211027_193502 (resized).jpg

20211027_193453 (resized).jpg

Just a few... I saw that leaderboard in one of the photos and tried to find it on Insider Connected. That is a lot of Godzillas! 22 in fact. No luck on the leaderboard though.

https://insider.sternpinball.com/insider/locations/297

This one…?

https://insider.sternpinball.com/insider/expo

Full list of Insider Connected games in the stern booth.

22 Godzillas!

A02B7E8E-FE26-4D68-915D-F16FBFDD40E9 (resized).png

AB12193C-F31E-4D72-9D17-2CADE8744E40 (resized).png

C7E1B83F-8BA8-48D7-BBC8-C841C46E8FA9 (resized).png

Nice find!

Now that these games are live at Expo, the list of achievements for the games is available.

Pick your game here: https://insider.sternpinball.com/insider/games then click on "all achievements"

Aerosmith as an example: https://insider.sternpinball.com/insider/games/115/achievements

Looks like they have every title on show they could get licensing approved on.

Yeah I think so. How did you find that?

If they're actually active and attentive to the community this is totally worth it.

Looks like you need to be logged in to see. Can anyone post the Iron Maiden achievements?

More IC features being rolled out at expo. Location badges are a cool idea.

1FD8BD60-5743-4550-8CFE-F80F82F48647 (resized).png

What is supposed to happen when you scan your QR code? The Godzilla (Pro) at Pinballz QR reader flashed a couple times but gave no indication that anything happened other than that.

Your name is supposed to show up on the screen.

Sounds like theirs might be disabled maybe due to not having internet connectivity. I came across one that was disabled but was on the IC location list.

If the machine is hooked to the internet and registered, the display should look something like this after it scans on free play:

pasted_image (resized).png

Not sure what it does for a machine that isn't on free play, credit machines might need to have the game started prior to scanning. Experimenting at CAX, players can scan their QR code at any time during the game; I think I did a scan/login in a multiplayer game during my ball two, IIRC.

Seems weird there are no connected Mandos at expo. But I guess it lists coming soon...

Make sure your phone brightness is up to max. The QR code wouldn't scan for me until I did that.

Creating an account is free, and is easier to read than this copy/paste below.

But here it is!

POWER PYRAMID

Incomplete
Power Pops
5pts
Collect Power Pops
Incomplete
Power Spinners
5pts
Collect Power Spinners
Incomplete
Power Ramps
5pts
Collect Power Ramps
Incomplete
Power Targets
5pts
Collect Power Targets
Incomplete
Power Orbits
5pts
Collect Power Orbits
Power Jackpot
POWER JACKPOT

Incomplete
Power Jackpot
5pts
Collect a Power Jackpot
Incomplete
Super Power Jackpot
10pts
Collect a Power Jackpot of 2x or greater
Incomplete
Ultra Power Jackpot
15pts
Collect a Power Jackpot of 5x or greater
Cyborg Eddie
CYBORG EDDIE

Incomplete
Cyborg Eddie
10pts
Start Cyborg Eddie Multiball
Incomplete
Super Cyborg Eddie
10pts
Collect a Super Jackpot in Cyborg Eddie Multiball
Incomplete
Hyper Cyborg Eddie
15pts
Collect two Super Jackpots in Cyborg Eddie Multiball
Incomplete
Ultra Cyborg Eddie
20pts
Collect five Super Jackpots in Cyborg Eddie Multiball
Fear Of the Dark
FEAR OF THE DARK

Incomplete
Fear Of The Dark
5pts
Play Fear Of The Dark
Incomplete
Have No Fear
10pts
Score 25M in Fear Of The Dark
Incomplete
More Fear!
5pts
Boost the Spinner value with the Right Ramp
Incomplete
Spinning Fear!
10pts
Make both lit spinners as a single combo in Fear of the Dark
Incomplete
Secret Of The Dark
5pts
Make 100 spins while KME runs in the Dark
Incomplete
Fear Of The Shard
10pts
Get the Soul Shard from Fear Of The Dark
Flight Of Icarus
FLIGHT OF ICARUS

Incomplete
Flight Of Icarus
5pts
Play Flight Of Icarus
Incomplete
Touch The Sun
10pts
Score 25M In Flight Of Icarus
Incomplete
Like An Eagle
10pts
Make a Four-Way Combo in Flight of Icarus
Incomplete
As High As The Sun
15pts
Make a Seven-Way Combo in Flight of Icarus
Incomplete
Shard Of Icarus
10pts
Get the Soul Shard from Flight Of Icarus
Aces High
ACES HIGH

Incomplete
Aces High
5pts
Play Aces High
Incomplete
Extra Ace
5pts
Get the Add-a-Ball in Aces High
Incomplete
Bomber Ace
10pts
Get the Bomber Jackpot
Incomplete
Fighter Ace
10pts
Get the Fighter Ace Jackpot
Incomplete
Shard Ace
10pts
Get The Soul Shard From Aces High
Hallowed By Thy Name
HALLOWED BY THY NAME

Incomplete
Hallowed Be Thy Name
5pts
Play Hallowed Be Thy Name
Incomplete
Hallowed Points
10pts
Score 25M in Hallowed Be Thy Name
Incomplete
Quick Escape
15pts
Complete Hallowed Be Thy Name within 17 seconds
Incomplete
Hallowed Be Thy Shard
10pts
Get The Soul Shard In Hallowed Be Thy Name
Rime of the Ancient Mariner
RIME OF THE ANCIENT MARINER

Incomplete
Rime Of The Ancient Mariner
5pts
Get a Mariner Jackpot
Incomplete
Ancient Points
10pts
Score 50M in Rime Of The Ancient Mariner
Incomplete
Rules Of The High Seas
5pts
Move the Shots full North before collecting a jackpot
Incomplete
Perfect Mariner
10pts
Collect the hurry up at full value
Incomplete
Shard Of The Ancient Mariner
10pts
Collect the Soul Shard in Rime Of The Ancient Mariner
2 Minutes To Midnight
2 MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT

Incomplete
What Time Is It?
10pts
Start 2 Minutes to Midnight
Incomplete
Just A Little More Time, Please
5pts
Complete all the Standup Targets and Roving Shot to Add Time
Incomplete
Super Midnight
15pts
Get a Super Jackpot in 2 Minutes to Midnight
Incomplete
Ultra Midnight
15pts
Get a 2x Super Jackpot in 2 Minutes to Midnight
Trooper
TROOPER

Incomplete
What A Trooper
5pts
Start Trooper Multiball
Incomplete
Mummy Trooper
10pts
Add the Mummy to Trooper Mulitball
Incomplete
Super Trooper
10pts
Collect a super jackpot in Trooper Multiball
Incomplete
Load The Cannon
5pts
Get the Add-a Ball in Trooper Multiball
Incomplete
Yellow Trooper
10pts
Advance all jackpots to 3x in Trooper Multiball
Incomplete
Red Trooper
15pts
Advance all jackpots to 5x in Trooper Multiball
Mummy
MUMMY

Incomplete
I Want My MUMMY!
5pts
Spell MUMMY
Incomplete
I Got My MUMMY!
5pts
Score a jackpot in Mummy Multiball
Incomplete
Super Mummy
5pts
Score a super jackpot in Mummy Multiball
Incomplete
Hyper Mummy
10pts
Score a 2x Super Jackpot in Mummy Multiball
Incomplete
Ultra Mummy
15pts
Score a 3x Super Jackpot in Mummy Multiball
Incomplete
Supreme Mummy
20pts
Score a 6x Super Jackpot in Mummy Multiball
Loops
LOOPS

Incomplete
Loop Jackpot
5pts
Score a Loop Jackpot
Incomplete
Five Times The Loop Jackpot!
10pts
Score a 5x Loop Jackpot
Incomplete
DECA-Loops
10pts
Score 10 Loop Jackpots in a single game
Incomplete
Lucrative Loops!
10pts
Build the Loop Value to 3.5M
Targets
TARGETS

Incomplete
?Eddie?
5pts
Shatz the gravestone target
Incomplete
Clean Sweep
5pts
Sweep the drop targets
Incomplete
Tri-Level Orb
5pts
Collect a level 3 Orb award
Revive
REVIVE

Incomplete
Revive
5pts
Spell REVIVE to light the outlane ball save
Incomplete
Eddie has RISEN!
5pts
Revive from left and right outlane on same ball
Incomplete
DIE With Your Boots On
5pts
Center drain with both REVIVEs lit
Tomb Treasures
TOMB TREASURES

Incomplete
Treasure Hunter
5pts
Collect a Tomb Treasure
Incomplete
Treasure Collector
10pts
Collect 4 Tomb Treasures
Incomplete
Treasure Hoarder
15pts
Collect all the Tomb Treasures
Skill Shots
SKILL SHOTS

Incomplete
Skill Shot
5pts
Make the skill shot
Incomplete
Super Skill Shot
10pts
Make the Super Skill Shot
Incomplete
Secret Skill Shot
15pts
Make the Secret Skill Shot
Incomplete
MXV Skill Shot
15pts
Make the MXV Super Skill Shot
Combos and Deathblows
COMBOS AND DEATHBLOWS

Incomplete
Triple Combo
15pts
Make a three way combo
Incomplete
Ultra Combo
20pts
Make the six way combo
Incomplete
Deathblow
5pts
Make a Deathblow
Incomplete
Super Deathblow
5pts
Make a Super Deathblow
Incomplete
Supreme Deathblow
5pts
Make the six way Deathblow
Pharaoh
PHARAOH

Incomplete
Crack Shot
5pts
Score a Pharaoh's Bullseye
Incomplete
Sharp Shooter
5pts
Score a 2x Pharaoh's Bullseye
Incomplete
Sniper
10pts
Score a 3x Pharaoh's Bullseye
Cards
CARDS

Incomplete
Draw One
5pts
Collect an Eddie Card
Incomplete
Pair
10pts
Collect Two Eddie Cards
Incomplete
Three Of A Kind
15pts
Collect Three Eddie Cards
Incomplete
Four Of A Kind
20pts
Collect all Four Eddie Cards
Can I Play With Madness?
CAN I PLAY WITH MADNESS?

Incomplete
Can I Play With Madness?
10pts
Start Can I Play With Madness?
Incomplete
I Played With Madness!
15pts
Collect a Madness Jackpot
Run To The Hills
RUN TO THE HILLS

Incomplete
Run To The Hills
25pts
Start Run To The Hills
Incomplete
Run For Your Life!
15pts
Get a Super Jackpot in Run To The Hills
Number Of The Beast
NUMBER OF THE BEAST

Incomplete
Number Of The Beast
20pts
Start Number of the Beast
Incomplete
I've Got Your Number!
25pts
Defeat The Beast
Soul Shards
SOUL SHARDS

Incomplete
More Souls Please
10pts
Collect 3 Soul Shards
Incomplete
You've Got Soul!
20pts
Collect all Soul Shards
Combos
COMBOS

Total: 0
Verified: 0
Incomplete
Combo Master Bronze
5pts
Make 50 Combos - Lifetime
Incomplete
Combo Master Silver
10pts
Make 100 Combos - Lifetime
Incomplete
Combo Master Gold
15pts
Make 150 Combos - Lifetime
Eddie
EDDIE

Total: 0
Verified: 0
Incomplete
Half Deck
10pts
Collect 26 Eddie Cards - Lifetime
Incomplete
Full Deck
15pts
Collect 52 Eddie Cards - Lifetime
Soul Collector
SOUL COLLECTOR

Total: 0
Verified: 0
Incomplete
Soul-ver Achiever - Bronze
5pts
Collect 50 Soul Shards - Lifetime
Incomplete
Soul-ver Achiever - Silver
10pts
Collect 100 Soul Shards - Lifetime
Incomplete
Soul-ver Achiever - Gold
15pts
Collect 150 Soul Shards - Lifetime
Spinner Melts
SPINNER MELTS

Total: 0
Verified: 0
Incomplete
Spinner Meltdown - Bronze
5pts
Score 5000 Melts - Lifetime
Incomplete
Spinner Meltdown - Silver
10pts
Score 10,000 Melts - Lifetime
Incomplete
Spinner Meltdown - Gold
15pts
Score 20,000 Melts - Lifetime

Maybe this was already mentioned, but does anyone know if this has wallet functionality so that I can load up my Stern account with money then scanning on a machine will also pay to play each time, along with giving achievements and such? Would be cool to not need change and just pay via the app.

No

You can scan in your QR code in attract mode, even before you coin-up the game. Found this out last night on the GZ Pro at the Game Lab in Riverside.

Lol. How did I miss that!? I don't think that link was there yesterday afternoon when I checked but it is also possible I am blind.

I played the lake Creek location yesterday (don't know if that's the only pinballz that got it) and it worked as expected. I will say that their wifi is spotty at times where even their reader to pay for the games get internment issues