This is such a great game. It just feels
”complete”. Few things though. I’m struggeling to complete the first demodog mode. Easy to start-near impossible to complete. Any strategies here? Also, finding Barb, great mode and a ”hard to explain” kind of moment when my kids complete it. I don’t like the randomness and the 40 million award if you find her on your first shot. Is this removable?

Does the topper add a mode or anything to gameplay at all? Trying to justify the expense

Yeah, rolling back code to a previous version fixes the sharpness/contrast/brightness settings, but the insider connected version, the latest code, is the one that makes the projector look worse.

I just find it odd that I’m the only one noticing it. It’s very obvious from across the room.

I got a hold of Pablo at Stern, and he said he was going to forward it to their engineering team. He said I was the first person who brought it up.

Any other premium / le owners care to swap back to previous versions to see what I mean?

Could be just a wacky issue with my projector, but I kinda doubt it, since it’s very much tied to the version of the code.

No but its really cool to sit in the dark and look at it! And it does react to different shots/modes in the game.

Yes! Mine did it, too. Focus/contrast/sharpness is terrible. Went back to prior code and problem was fixed. The new code has something screwed up on the projector settings.

I emailed pablo, also.

In the club, I got a nice pro with topper uv kit, stern art blades installed and Cleland code. Any must have mods?

Ok great, glad to know I wasn’t going crazy or that something went weird with my specific projector.

I suspect it’s simply the brightness/contrast/sharpness settings of the projector didn’t get carried over to the latest code. I was hoping Pablo would give us the code to tweak those settings ourselves

What I don't understand is why/how these settings would be in the code itself, this is usually more inside the projector settings.

Unless Stern has a full custom firmware for the projector where these settings are controlled externally

It makes sense that the internal settings for the projector would be part of the code.

Let’s say they tweak the insert brightness - that will have a direct impact on the projector’s clarity and contrast, so you’d want to compensate for any table lighting tweaks on the projector as well.

I just wish these settings were accessible in the adjustments menu, that way, we could customize our projectors based on dark home environments or bright location play.

Does anyone know which exact projector Stern is using on this machine? I’d love to buy a backup, or experiment with getting into the firmware myself.

Here is the projector in question.

I'm assuming that many different manufacturers in china produce this. S6000 models all look kinda the same.

Any body powder coat your pro? If so got pics? Im looking for ideas.
Harley D.

First Demodog mode is one of the few few misfires in the game I think. With such a cool start sequence it then feels like a chore, perhaps should have been a 2 ball multiball, or some sort of add a ball action perhaps ... obviously that would then prevent it being stacked into another multiball mode.

I agree, it would be fine if it didn't lock you out of starting a mode.

the only time i can hit the right ramp reliably is during demodog 1 mode

i hate having a mode that involves hitting a target you can't actually aim for

having one of the drop targets down when you start DD1 is a bonus because then you can try to shoot at the two big standups under the 'gorgon and get credit for 3 or 4 hits sometimes

Nevermind I answered my own question, I left the plastic protector on top. FYI for anyone doing this, I had to remove the LED strip light to get the signed plastic piece onto the three screw mounts, then put the LED strip back on

IMG_5685 (resized).jpeg

That is what I try to do but the mode is very difficult to complete regardless. It has actually become my least favorite mode of the entire game.

yeah it sucks

try to save your third multiball lock for it

I still play on 1.02 code on my pro. Unless you have an insider connect machine and care about that stuff, I don't see the point in moving up. I've added a lot of music and customization on top of Cleland's code to 1.02 so I'll continue with that.

If/when I ever finish the game and get to the Snowball, I may regret it but I don't see that happening anytime soon .

This one: https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/LSP-Smart-Mini-Projector-DLP-Handheld_60785080274.html

I figured it was right in Eddy line with trolls & martian attack similarly for me...they can't ALL be things/modes I like/want to do.

For the first demodog mode I usually just hit the 2 standups under the demo. Usually quite safe to finish it out and I usually get 2 or 3 hits per shot up there depending on if I sneak it behind some drops still up. I regularly finish that mode targeting those 2 targets. I don't really worry about the increase you get from hitting all the targets.

This game is tough! Had a couple games in the 400-500k range but a lot of short low scoring games….man, the factory set wide open outlanes are hungry! And it seems as though the shot angles to hit the ramps are different somehow than what Im used to, I just cannot get in the groove and keep clanging off the standups and straight down the outlanes. More practice is in order! Loving the game so far.

I'm curious, Is it possible to stream the content of the projector by using direct feed (hdmi port)?

i have a black screen

Seems that custom HDMI timing here…

I'm catching up on this thread and have a question.

With the crazy prices of Premiums and LEs, is there any reason why someone couldn't put a Premium apron and aftermarket apron on a Pro and then install the Premium code to get the projected images on the ramps, etc. There is already the improved projection material that folks are using to upgrade their Premiums and it could simply be installed on Pros.

It seems like with about $400 you could upgrade the Pro to project images like the Premium.

someone in this very thread is working on cracking the custom firmware for the projector which is i believe the current roadblock

but then you still need the projector assembly from Stern- it's $700, I think, with a $150 projector included, or find a way to 3-d print it

I bought the pro because I prefer that version. I honestly don’t get the fascination with the projector, when 90% of the video is the same on the Pro’s LCD, and it’s bigger and looks much better on the LCD (imho).

Looking for an LE if anyone wants to let one go. My 13 yr old has been wanting this title for awhile and I have a few other modern LEs that this would go well with.

Will pay a good price!!!

Because it looks awesome

I'll add this: Everyone goes ape shit over the uv kit (which is really cool, don't get me wrong), but it's hardly ever on. If I had to pick I'd take the projector over uv kit 10/10.

I would add to that... I almost never look up to the main LCD screen (except when there's a pause), because it's outside the field of view when playing, and you risk losing the ball. Whereas the animations on the projector screen, you always see them, can't miss them

I find it fascinating that I can glance at the mode timer displayed on the side of the ramp, while adverting my eyes to the top of the monitor to see the mode progress feels like an eternity and shows me how little I like glancing up at the monitor when playing.

literally everyone that sees the game comments on the projector. do we know if it's patented in this application or will we see it on other machines?

yeah guests and casuals are the only people besides me that play at my house and MAN do they love the projector. im gonna have to either sell this thing soon or bolt it to the floor

kind of want to see individual LED screen drop targets now.

like the Optimus Maximus keyboard https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optimus_Maximus_keyboard

I hardly ever see it mentioned, but for me the projector and the screen reminds me of a drive in theater and there is nothing more nostalgic and cool than a monster revealing itself behind the movie screen. It's really a brilliant idea for the theme.

As far as the other projections that Chuck laid out, they pulled me in and completely immersed me into the game. They really make the game come to life and there is nothing else like it. Couple all of that with great sounds and UV, it makes for one of the great pinball experiences.

Installed the Insider Connect on my pro today. I didn’t want to install it in the factory location and loose the artwork on the apron, so I made a custom mount in the apron card area. Then I added a custom apron card to tie it all together. I think it turned out pretty good. I like this set up much better than the factory location for the Pro, or even the coin door mount that some are doing. I believe this is the factory location on the Premium/LE. They should have done the same for the Pros. If I didn’t already have the Pro UV kit I would have just ordered the Prem/LE kit and saved myself some time and effort.

D41DCFA3-F5A3-44B5-A5B3-28D30678C6F1 (resized).jpeg

A2AD430F-FC7D-4B27-9207-8E1DDCA3A5CC (resized).jpeg

Looks great! Did you just cut a square in your UV Kit apron?

Yes, exactly. I actually made the apron card first. I then cut the square out of the card and placed the card on the apron. This told me exactly where I needed to cut my square on the apron. Then I cut the apron an mounted the IC in. Wasn’t too difficult at all. Probably took me more time to make the apron card on the computer than it did to cut and mount the IC.

That looks good. I'm having a friend scan my cards to do something similar on mine. I got rid of any scanners and printers years ago. He's in the graphic design/print biz. Hoping to keep it sorta factory looking with the black card with the Christmas lights border and have the Stern and Insider Connected logos. Simple and functional.

Is there a good premium tutorial video? May be joining club soon