Quoted from BaxterStockman:

How are you adjusting the shaker? All the allen wrenches that I have that fit in the hole aren't strong enough to turn it at all. Or am I doing it wrong? Already looks like they're a little offset. But it sure makes a rattle when it goes off. Looking to tone it down a bit.
[quoted image][quoted image]
Found a torch screw that fit. It broke. [quoted image]

Quoted from Rob_G:

Sometimes the designers/programmers just have different thoughts about balance, or what is needed compared to us.

Quoted from shaub:

I dont disagree there, but my basic point is just that the game could be much better if some of the finer elements were addressed (even simple things like how Max Krang Kombo doesnt stop the ball like the other side modes). In no way am I saying that I expect any changes or think the designers even want things to be any different. Frankly, I think it's pretty clear they are content with where the game is at and have primarily moved on to other projects. Not to mention, they are gonna stop producing this game very soon.

Quoted from gumnut01:

Didn’t Dwight do a massive release for GB way after its last run?

Quoted from System-J:

Yup. And got. And other stern games as well such as Kiss. All big updates that changed the balance and the way you play the game.
....
My good friend Joe Ciaravino (of Pinball Degenerates FB page) brought some cool stuff back from pin expo.
Dwight signed his copy of Noblemen (of which I haven't played this yet):
[quoted image]
And he brought me back a signed ZY plastic!!:
[quoted image]
Still not sure if or were I could add it to the game.

Quoted from System-J:

Yup. And got. And other stern games as well such as Kiss. All big updates that changed the balance and the way you play the game.
....
My good friend Joe Ciaravino (of Pinball Degenerates FB page) brought some cool stuff back from pin expo.
Dwight signed his copy of Noblemen (of which I haven't played this yet):
[quoted image]
And he brought me back a signed ZY plastic!!:
[quoted image]
Still not sure if or were I could add it to the game.

Quoted from Thunderbird:

Those are not offset in your photos. Put heat on the screw to remove lock-tight from the screw to loosen it. This is what it looks like when you’ve set up properly by using either the 90 degree or the 180 degree settings. (See photos below)
Here was my experience which sounds similar to yours, lol.
Remove two top case screws. Then remove four bolts holding unit to table cabinet base.
Also tried using an Allen wrench, only to strip it. Attempted torque wrench and broke head. Wishing I hadn’t started this project, lol. Used Vise Grip Pliers to finally loosen 1/32nd screw nub. Destroyed screw nib getting it off. Purchased new screw and put it in the 90 degree angle hole to retighten. 90 degrees position offset it to the other side weight. Putting only a drop of lock tight on the screw before inserting.
Real issue with original screw is that it had tons of lock tight, so it was not coming off without brute force. Had to finally clamp screw nib into bench vice and then used a screw driver inserted through weight hole to turn entire weight till it came off all the way.
Now at 90 degree offset position to opposite side weight, it works perfectly as a shaker motor and doesn’t shake the table glass any longer, but keeps the fun effect of the shaker motor. I left the other side untouched. You could move it 90 degrees also, but then they’d be 180 degrees opposite of each other and diminish shaker effect too much.
I’ve included photos below to see exactly how I positioned weights and where screws were placed. Have fun adjusting! It would have been a simple process without the heavy dose of lock tight. It is worth the effort as now shaker motor adds to the experience instead of being too violent. If I had put heat on the lock-tight to begin with, would have avoided all the hassle.
[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]

Quoted from BaxterStockman:

Thank you for the tips.
My weight doesn't have a hole on the side like yours does.
Mine both look like the one on the left where there isn't a hole on the side.
Did you drill one?
[quoted image]

Quoted from System-J:

Yup. And got. And other stern games as well such as Kiss. All big updates that changed the balance and the way you play the game.
....
My good friend Joe Ciaravino (of Pinball Degenerates FB page) brought some cool stuff back from pin expo.
Dwight signed his copy of Noblemen (of which I haven't played this yet):
[quoted image]
And he brought me back a signed ZY plastic!!:
[quoted image]
Still not sure if or were I could add it to the game.

Quoted from BaxterStockman:

Thank you for the tips.
My weight doesn't have a hole on the side like yours does.
Mine both look like the one on the left where there isn't a hole on the side.
Did you drill one?
[quoted image]

Quoted from mannymasy:

Hi friends. I'm thinking of buying a pro version of tmnt, but I'm a bit unsure because each person talks to me differently about this machine..... some people tell me that it is very fast and difficult other people that it is easy...some tell me that it has a very short code and that it scores very low.....not sure who to listen to. I have doubts between buying this machine or a deadpool ..... what do you think? Cheers

Quoted from mannymasy:

thanks friend. the version I would buy would be a professional (pro). I have to say that I already had a deadpool in the past, I sold it because in a short time it was quite easy for me, every time I played my games were almost 1 hour and almost 3k million

Quoted from bicyclenut:

I chose this game over Deadpool myself. Don't get me wrong, Deadpool is a great game.

Quoted from bicyclenut:

Yo también lo encontré fácil. Cada vez que lo jugué en el lugar tuve un gran juego. Esta es una de las razones por las que nunca tuve uno.

Quoted from Thunderbird:

No didn’t have to drill the side hole. If you don’t want to drill, then your only option is to put one weight 180 degrees opposite the other one. That will tame your shaker motor quite nicely and you won’t have to drill a side hole.

Quoted from mannymasy:

Deadpool?

Quoted from Thunderbird:

TMNT is much more satisfying for the long haul of homeownership.

Quoted from Legenbad:

Just got a call from my distributor and my TMNT Premium is finally being shipped next week! Super excited. Pulled the trigger before the last call deadline.

Quoted from mannymasy:

In my country this machine is very undervalued... the second-hand ones are cheaper than other titles like deadpool, gotg etc... etc.... Even so, I have reserved a new one at my dealer for the end of November .... if I find a cheap used one I will buy it and if not I will wait for my reservation to arrive hahahaha

Quoted from Thunderbird:

So buy up the bargains from those that don’t get it, for cheap. There will come a time, this machine is highly sought after. TMNT is an evergreen property and has legs.

Quoted from PinSpinner:

I certainly hope you are correct. Seems like Keith is king right now and so other games are being ignored in favor of his. They say Turtles is a drain monster, but I drain far more on JP. That machine is unforgiving.

Quoted from Thunderbird:

I’d take my TMNT code over my JP code any day of the week. TMNT is fun, with lots of toys to interact with. JPs layout is nice, but code is somewhat monotonous trudging through paddock after paddock and then back again, with some very tight shots. You’re right it’s more of a drain monster than TMNT. JP is a tougher shooter imo too.

Quoted from PinSpinner:

Yet, number 4 on the top 100. Turtles is struggling to hold onto 45 at this point. I still think that not all turtles owning pinsiders have posted their ratings and if they have, they haven’t updated it since the major code update. #turtlestopten.

Quoted from Thunderbird:

Shows how truly faulty the “false 100” really is. It’s in vogue to rank anything Elwin does as high and most anything Borg does as a beat down game. Even though very quiet and reserved Borg is every bit the designer Elwin is and has been at it longer. Pinside is very biased toward the current popular person and he does stellar layouts for sure. Owners of old relic games also seem to have a strong motivation to beat down modern games, lol.

Quoted from Sorokyl:

Wonder how long the final run will last at the smaller distributors. Weeks? Months? I just got a machine so waiting on the wife aggro to die down, but wouldn't mind picking one up early 2023...</blockquote

Wonder how long the final run will last at the smaller distributors. Weeks? Months? I just got a machine so waiting on the wife aggro to die down, but wouldn't mind picking one up early 2023...

Quoted from hiker2099:

TMNT and Mando are my favorites and yet the Top 100 doesn’t reflect it. I sold my GZ Premium and feel it isn’t as great as people make out. Top twenty for sure, but not top of all time. I just feel the top 100 is too subjective of a topic. Maybe a top 100 for different aspects. Like a top 100 for shooting, or code, or to 10 music pin.
Maybe pinside could be a little proactive and come up with some different topics to rank the pins in

Quoted from PinSpinner:Yet, number 4 on the top 100. Turtles is struggling to hold onto 45 at this point. I still think that not all turtles owning pinsiders have posted their ratings and if they have, they haven’t updated it since the major code update. #turtlestopten.

Quoted from Thunderbird:

Shows how truly faulty the “false 100” really is. It’s in vogue to rank anything Elwin does as high and most anything Borg does as a beat down game. Even though very quiet and reserved Borg is every bit the designer Elwin is and has been at it longer. Pinside is very biased toward the current popular person and he does stellar layouts for sure. Owners of old relic games also seem to have a strong motivation to beat down modern games, lol.

Quoted from wolffcub:

I hear the prices on TMNT will go up to the new stern costs in 2023.

Quoted from shaub:

I didn't realise just how overpowered Raphael is with Stern Insider Connected enabled, I normally play with saved Turtle Levels disabled (in competition mode) but I've been doing a bunch of testing to (excessively) breakdown some scoring but also to answer some practical questions about the rules, like how Raphs Level 3 and 4 perks interact.
Anyways, I decided to play a game with Raphael (starting at Level 4) and, frankly, things got out of hand. To be fair, I played a pretty solid game of TMNT regardless, I beat 7 of 8 Episodes and got to Final Battle but my Team Up MB was weak and I don't think I did much with any of my 4 main multiballs, so my score could have potentially been a lot higher just a with a few 3x pf Mondo and Super Jackppots.
Because I was at Level 4 from the start all scores were 30% higher, every episode was worth 3x it's normal value, and my pf x was 3x instead of 2x, plus each one of my completed episodes boosted the value of episode shots by 25k (before all of the multiplier stuff). The typical base value of the first episode shot is 100k and goes up from there, so with all of that stuff added on top the first shot of my episode was worth: 100k +30% x 3X PF x 3x Episodes Raph Perk = 1.17m points for 1st shot. That's for an episode played before completing any episodes: 1 completed episode would have made it 1.46m, 2 episodes would be 1.57m, 3 episodes would be 2.05m, etc.
Many of the episodes don't have too many shots you can hit before lighting the Turtle Shots, but Pizza-o-meter can have between 3 and 6 shots: 3 shots would be 6.5m, 6 shots would be 14.1m and that is before the Completion Bonus with a base value of 1m that (with all of the above boosts) ends up being worth 11.7m.
If played without previously completing any episodes, each episode could be worth the following:
-Window Shopping you can keep shooting shots during the timer, shots to the same orbit build a shot x: 5 shots to the same orbit seems reasonable: 22.5m for shots, 11.7m completion bonus)
-Mousers has 6 shots to hit (8.8m shots + 11.7m completion)
-I Want a Body has potentially 5 (7m shots + 11.7m completion)
-See You On The Other Side has 6 shots+ (8.8m shots + 11.7m completion)
-Welcome To The Concrete Jungle, both targets and 2 shots in phase 1 and up to 6 shots in phase 2: 6 shots avg (8.8m shots, 11.7m completion)
-Super Fly has 3 shots (these shots are worth more than eps 1 to 6) (6.5m for shots, completion bonus (base value of 2.5m) is a Hurry up that starts at 29.25m)
-Wrath of Krang has 3 shots to complete (these shots are worth more than eps 1 to 6) and "Krang Missed" shots worth 25k (say you hit 3) (14.5m + completion bonus (1.5m base value) of 17.5m)
Obviously this is just what is possible and none of this scoring is guaranteed. But with Insider Connected installed and Level 4 saved, I can't see any other Turtle even coming close to this kind of scoring opportunity. I'm not sure how overpowered this ends up being when you have to earn the Training Levels, but it certainly would be worth going for. It seems kind of odd that 3x PF AND 3x episodes are perks for the same Turtle, but what do I know.
TL;DR Raphaels Level 3 and 4 perk combined can blow up the value of episodes. The end.

Quoted from PinSpinner:

What is interesting to me in all of this is that Elwin titles drain like crazy and have some of the tightest shots in pinball and yet the verb “borged” has been created for any machine that drains like crazy. This is a big part of why Turtles is at the place it is in the ranking. Getting “borged” on John Borg machine automatically puts that machine at a lower place than getting borged on a non-Borg machine. Add to that that many of the reviews for any machine are based on what others think (the hive mentality all humans fall into) and you’ve got Turtles at 45, JP at 4 and Godzilla at 1.
In fact, I would argue that John Borg’s reputation has more to do with Turtles’ rank than anything else. Whoever said the ranking system was flawed was very correct. There are too many variables that are not taken into account that put machines at different places on the ranking list. There should be rule set lists, light show lists, toys lists and music/callouts lists. That way, those who are looking for a certain thing can be better informed. There should also be separate ranking lists for owners who have played hundreds of games and know those machines and players in the wild who play games maybe a dozen times at most and then think they know enough to rate them. Both opinions do not hold the same weight. But, this thread is about Turtles and I still stand behind my opinion that most satisfied turtles owners have not 1. Ranked their machines at all or 2. Ranked them and not updated those rankings with game code improvements. I would also argue that the reverse is true for JP and Godzilla.

Quoted from Sorokyl:

So GZ has shorter ball times than TMNT, and has gotten worse over time with code updates. And John Borg doesn't have any highly rated games. Metallica and rush definitely don't count. Got it.
It's ok to have a different opinion than most people without saying the ratings are completely flawed...

Quoted from PinSpinner:

What is interesting to me in all of this is that Elwin titles drain like crazy and have some of the tightest shots in pinball and yet the verb “borged” has been created for any machine that drains like crazy. This is a big part of why Turtles is at the place it is in the ranking. Getting “borged” on John Borg machine automatically puts that machine at a lower place than getting borged on a non-Borg machine. Add to that that many of the reviews for any machine are based on what others think (the hive mentality all humans fall into) and you’ve got Turtles at 45, JP at 4 and Godzilla at 1.
In fact, I would argue that John Borg’s reputation has more to do with Turtles’ rank than anything else. Whoever said the ranking system was flawed was very correct. There are too many variables that are not taken into account that put machines at different places on the ranking list. There should be rule set lists, light show lists, toys lists and music/callouts lists. That way, those who are looking for a certain thing can be better informed. There should also be separate ranking lists for owners who have played hundreds of games and know those machines and players in the wild who play games maybe a dozen times at most and then think they know enough to rate them. Both opinions do not hold the same weight. But, this thread is about Turtles and I still stand behind my opinion that most satisfied turtles owners have not 1. Ranked their machines at all or 2. Ranked them and not updated those rankings with game code improvements. I would also argue that the reverse is true for JP and Godzilla.

Quoted from seenev:

I loved tmnt when I was a kid 30 years ago. I don't remember much about it now. Do you have to be real familiar with the franchise to like this game? I don't remember the helicopter or glider thing at all.

Quoted from PinSpinner:

I don’t think the ratings are completely flawed, just somewhat skewed based on a variety of factors that I don’t think anyone fully understands. The ratings are their own beast. I have always rooted for the underdog and because of that, am biased against “popularity”. Turtles is definitely an underdog and so is John Borg. And, in case Dwight is reading this, if you have anything else planned for updates, I am sure they will only enhance an already awesome game.

Quoted from J-Freeze:

Not sure what you think getting "Borged" is.
Hard to get "Borged" on a non-Borg game, most do not have the double inlane that he often implements.
I like the double inlane and will take the occasional rattle/bounce over (Borging) in exchange for the extra switch.