soon my brother...........soon

I need some new code!! Sorry my problems are a little different than most the others just waiting for the game.

It is worth the wait tho, LOVE IT!!! Great code will put it over top, I really hope it gets all the attention it deserves to take it from good to amazing!

Great code is so important. I have a deposit down on one and this is my biggest concern. Has anybody heard anything about the code being updated soon or has DP made any comments. I don't want the code on the machine to become a Kiss for example. The code was okay to start with but got old quick when it never got updated. Any feedback would be appreciated.

My last e-mail from DP on a code update (.45) was 9 August, so not really that long ago, maybe 6 weeks at this point. I wouldn't be surprised to see another big update to coincide with their second container shipping.

It's my understanding they are fixing all of the diverters on the games they had ready to ship out so that has slowed production some. I think you'll see #54 in the next batch once they have fixed all of the diverters.

With #30 first in line for the next container, and 42 games being shipped this time, the next lot will include at least up thru #71 and probably beyond as a number of the games in between will most likely be going to non-North American customers.

For their sake, I hope that DP brings something to Expo (i.e. games to play with more advanced code, news of stepped up production and deliveries, etc.) to help rejuvenate some of the excitement about TBL that has been lost since its initial debut at the show 2 years ago.

They've been bringing games to a lot of big shows since then, each with the latest code at the time. I think they've been building excitement through shows. I know at the NW Pinball & Arcade Show this past June, the Nitro booth with the Big Lebowski (and my Bride 2.0 and a Full Throttle) was insanely busy. There was a line 5-25 people deep the entire time to play TBL and everyone was talking about it, including more casual players. A lot more people know about the game now than did 2 years ago. You have to remember, we are pinheads, we know about these games years before they come to fruition. But most people don't pay attention until a game is actually released and on location.

#30 is sitting in my living room.

72, you made the cut!

I think I was # 10 to play it at the NW pin show, loved it. Easily my favorite pin there.

Sure, having TBL games to play at shows is great and although a lot of folks are willing to wait in long lines to try it out, the general buzz surrounding TBL is now a fraction of what it was when it was first unveiled with much fanfare at Expo two long years ago. And FWIW, while finally having a TBL for the first time at the NW Show this year was wonderful, unbelievably, it was not running the latest code version available at the time!

The point intended in my post though was merely that if DP wants to compete with the other manufacturers exhibiting new games at Expo this year, they need to have something significant to talk up about TBL other than games starting to trickle out of the factory or code that is cool, but STILL has a ways to go yet. As a DP and TBL supporter, I hope they will.

Oops - my mistake.

dannylite's game (next in line to be shipped via container) is #31.

Apparently they are backed buy a multi million dollar company so I wouldn't be concerned too much.

I'm getting quite frustrated now - I've had the machine since the end of May and my bowling alley still isn't working. On the 5th September Barry asked me some follow up questions and asked for a few days to figure it out and I haven't heard anything since. Just set him an email now to ask what's going on. It works mechanically but the opto isn't registering, even though I've replaced it with a new set that DP sent out to me. I've had NIB games before and know that issues aren't uncommon, but I've never had a game with a major element not working this long before.

I've also got another problem - in car modes and the 'This is What Happens' rug mode the car isn't registering hits. This is because when the car comes out it closes the car switches on the mini playfield and therefore hits don't register. If I manually move the car away from these switches a hit is registered, but it then returns and closes the switches again and hits aren't registered. Anyone else have the same problem?

Oh and the leaf switches on the slingshots are still temperamental, and require seemingly constant adjustment. Not having much fun with the game right now.

Your problems with the bowling alley are a bummer. Mine works 99% of the time and with the new code it seems to register the hits better. I had one instance where I clearly missed the front pin and it still registered it. So it´s still not a 100% perfect.

With the car I had one instance where it got stuck half way out of the garage, but otherwise it seems to work. I still haven´t figured out when it actually should go back in..... Timer? # of hits? No clue.....

The leaf switches are the same problem in my TBL. The bend much too easily. One day I´ll replace them with standard Williams switches from one of the shops.

The other problem I still have to tackle is the STDMs from the Donny lane. I didn´t have them in the beginning but now they are more the rule than the exception. Since this also seems to be a known issue I´d really appreciate a guide from DP how to bend the laneguide so that these don´t happen anymore. They´re very frustrating.

Finally I´m looking forward to the new diverter and the replacements for my broken slingshot plastics.

Has anybody spoken to Pinbits if they´d be interested in making a plastics protector set?

So, on mine the outside target is bent outward a bit. I assume that's to make sure the car doesn't set the interior target when deployed.. I.e., Uses the outside one as a resting place (stops when triggered), without setting the interior one.. interior gets set on a car hit.

That make sense? I can get a pic/video of how far my left target us bent outward.

I think a number of us are having issues with the bowling alley and from what I understand they are working on a fix

I think its number of hits....

I talked with LSOG about making some sling protectors but still need to scan my slings for them.

I don't think the car modes are really programmed in yet. Hopefully we'll get a software update soon.

When I asked Barry about my SDTM issue he said:

'The easiest way to fix it is to bend the last inch of the right guide a bit to the left' and sent me this picture:

DP (resized).jpg

I did as he suggested and it fixed the issue - all balls now return to the left flipper - but it did damage the playfield slightly so be careful!

If we can just replace the leaf switches with Williams switches that would be great, please let me know if that works for you and I'll do the same.

Thanks - that does make sense, yes. I originally tried bending both targets further back so that the car would not be in contact with either, but I didn't think of bending one forward. I'll try that next week as currently TBL is wrapped in plastic and under a dust sheet because of some work that's going on in the next room.

I think my situation is different - my bowling alley opto doesn't register at all, ever. Not in test, not in gameplay. It worked the first game I ever played on the machine and hasn't worked since, even with a replacement set of optos they sent me. The coils work in test so mechanically it seems fine, but it never registers electronically.

Ok I did some testing this AM. I was slightly incorrect. It is definitely the case that the left / outer target gets hit first, which i still assume is the trigger for the stepper motor to stop. When the stepper motor cuts off though, (it may actually back up slightly after the switch it), it is touching neither switch. BUT it is just a hair trigger on the outer / left one.. so i am still going to assume the software probably ignores the outer switch state, and just pays attention to the inner one as a "car hit". I do this based on the fact that they clearly bent my outer target out slightly (and I've seen other photos with this a well).

Here's a pic of my two targets; and I actually think mine has flattened out a bit more than how it started now that i'm focused on it.
20160923_063158 (resized).jpg

And a video of me dicking around with it to; may or may not be useful:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ap9xuqpw5W45b68RZAlwLlTATB6YclAqlQ

Ups, now I´m confused. Are you talking about STDMs from the Maude lane, then?

What happens on mine is the following: I shoot a ball up the Donny lane (leftmost lane), it goes through the left gate above the MAU(de) lanes, hits the right gate above those lanes, rebounds back down the Donny lane and disappears between my flipper bats.
It only happens when it´s a pretty hard shot that rebounds fast.

Is that the same problem you have?

I had the opposite problem (maude shot, bounces off donny gate, then back down maude shot.. SDTM rare but same principle). What it was is there is a really long spring that passes through the playfield. It was mis-adjusted such that the spring was getting caught / dragging on side of the hole it was passing though / wasn't centered. bent the gate slightly to have the spring run without interference through the hole and that problem went away.

Separately, I started a full list of all my problems/tweaks and solutions this AM. Will post to DP forums once I collect pictures sometime this weekend.

My TBL will be in the finals of a tournament this weekend so we'll see how it holds up - everyone is super excited to play it and trying to qualify more to play it than anything else!

Yes! Email is in, #54 wil be tested and out to me this week !

Not mine but no 58 also got the call/email

So things are still moving

I would have loved preordering it now but it may not be possible as long as DP does not finish building the ones already preordered.

It is a pity, cool game. Just waiting for now the next jjp.

Good game.

Nope, pre-orders closed a long time ago, no skipping the line at DP.

real achievers get 'm first, seems only fair.

Did DP plan a limited production? I don't understand why it is not possible to order anymore. This is a strange financial strategy.

Never mind, many great pinballs are coming.

Because they are a brand new company. They want to get through pre orders first. Then take more orders. There is not a limited run planned from what I understand. They will make as many as demand dictates. That's the plan from what I understand.

I think you're mistaken, what you described is how the bowling alley has always worked. The orange thing rotates, just gravity releases the ball down the slope of the playfield. Not sure how you could of missed the slope part after all these years

Bowling is pretty rare in game, unless you do the skill shot. There's two types of challenges right now.. getting a strike/spare or roving pin.

The DP guys at the Dutch Pinball Museum in Rotterdam this past week:

DP Guys at Dutch Pinball Museum (resized).jpg

I find this an impressive action by a company that intends to be a serious player.

I have had this happen on both shots, Donnie and Maude but they never once returned SDTM. I will be adding a small piece of dead foam to both gate flaps.

As soon as I stop playing the thing.

No. As SD Tom said, the bowling lane is sloped and the ball releases via gravity.

Sorry Dude, but it looks like it is fed and rolls down via gravity to me in that video.

Pinball Magazine No. 4 will feature a 17-page interview with Jaap and Barry on the development of TBL. In that interview they explain why they stopped taking preorders. They also explain that by the time they expect to finish building the first 300 games they will have a European distributor and they will take new orders again. Either way you would have to wait in line like everybody else, so just put your money aside and order the game in a few months.

That is a funny angle given the camera position.

From the launch party 2 years ago:
http://www.pinballnews.com/games/biglebowski/x34a.jpg
http://www.pinballnews.com/games/biglebowski/index2.html

Oh shit, that means mine is DONE! Just gotta wait for that container to fill up and ship! WOOO!

My engineering degree says it's under an angle and gravity does the job

IMG_8238 (resized).JPG

IMG_9450 (resized).JPG

IMG_9464 (resized).JPG

this bowling alley is really a great toy. amazing!

how does it work? like in real or is it virtual?

My understanding is that the mech uses optos to detect where the ball strikes the pins and software causes the applicable pins to react (fold upward in this case).

you mean the software is able to calculate the falling of a pin by another pin?

how can it be possible to analyse the trajectory of the ball in all the track?

I spent the weekend messing with my bowling alley. Its now working about 90% but still needs a little adjustment.

my understanding, (and I could be dead wrong) is...

The logic knows the ball is in the orange launcher. The launcher is going side to side with the ball in it. (In test mode, you can see it move across the screen either 1 swing, or in a loop.) When you hit the Ball launch button, the orange launcher stops, sending a signal of where that position is. The solenoid then pulls the ball stop down and the ball rolls towards the pins. The opto that runs across the alley tells the computer that the ball has passed and then tells the specific pins to pull up. Each pin has its own solenoid to pull the pins up.

I hope the next version of software has a better bowling alley opto test than the current one as it just says an opto was triggered. A pictorial map of the pins would be good to see what's going on. I honestly haven't dug into it too much, waiting on the orange ball guide part.

Mine seems to work great as far as I can tell. It always works on the roving pin thing if I aim it correctly but I almost always get a strike on full pin thing if you hit anywhere near that front pin, it seems to be a strike, almost too easy. Do people see pins left a lot doing that?

I'm not yet personally familiar with the actual mech's design and operation, but I would imagine that the pin reaction process is a technically advanced version of that employed in old electro-mechanical "big ball" and puck bowlers in that, depending on the path that the ball traveled through the pins (i.e. which switches the ball/puck physically contacted), the applicable pins would be activated.

In the case of TBL, you have modern optical sensors to detect the ball location/path and software to compute the resulting pin reaction instead of the physical switch contacts protruding above the lane and hard wired stepper units on the old EM games. The trajectory of the ball prior to reaching the pins may or may not be inconsequential - although as pointed out by burningman, the game can detect the angle of the launcher when the ball is released and factor this into computing the resultant pin reaction.

Don, you are dead right

So it's a calculation process and not real detecting which pins are hit. The pins are pulled up which the software calculated to be hit.

sorry buddy, i don't know EM games.

for me bowling is like snooker, the impact location makes the ball (the pin) going to the left, to the right etc
i think it is to much difficult to reproduce the exact moves of the pins except if all the pin is a sensitive captor that can record the impact location and so calculate the trajectory of each pin and their fall or not.

i think i am going to have a headache...

" i'm falling, so i'm taking my time on my r..."