Quoted from epthegeek:

Can't explain why the Bond LEs are taking so long, but bond was Playable at Chicago Expo last year - which is already 128 days ago, so roughly 4 months ago.

Quoted from beltking:

Email from one distributor
The next game is going to be Foo Fighters and you are near the top of the waitlist, so we will definitely have an LE for you if you want it. We are charging $13,399 (the MSRP is $12,999), and this time Stern says you can pick #2-9 for a $1,000 fee, and #10-1000 for a $500 fee. The deposit is $1,000 and is non-refundable. Tuesday is the official release so if you want to wait to see the details we'll need to know pretty quickly on Tuesday if you want to reserve a game.

Quoted from lockeness:

First off I am 52, just about the same age as Dave Grohl. Nirvana’s Nevermind was the soundtrack to my junior year of college. FF’s debut album and The Colour and The Shape were permanently in my 20 CD changer in my car for a few years. I consider FF one of my favorite bands. Over the years they have put consistent albums, each with 1-2 great songs and the rest pretty good. I do not consider them anywhere near the greatest band in the world, but their combo of rock anthems, great live shows and sense of humor click for me. I was lucky enough to see them play Lollapalooza in 2021, one of their last shows with Taylor Hawkins and it was awesome. So, yeah, I’m a fan.
Here is why I think this is going to be a successful pin:
Dave Grohl is arguably the biggest rock star in the world right now and the Foo Fighters are a very relevant band. For those people here who say they’ve never heard of the FF, I’m not sure what to say other than “sorry sir, I apologize for being on your lawn”. Grol was in Nirvana. Tom Petty fired him as drummer for the Heartbreakers when he heard his demo’s and told him to start FF. Letterman asked them to play his final show. It’s a band in the RRHOF. Grohl has a text thread open with Paul McCartney, Brian May and John Paul Jones, who he has played with many times all showed up at TH’s tribute concert. This is not common for a pin - most themes are generally old, bands that broke up years ago, movies that are 20+ years old. FF still play the biggest festivals in the world, all over the world. They are headlining 11 music festivals, including Bonnaroo, this summer. It’s okay to not like the FF, but to say they are irrelevant and no one likes them is just not true. I think there are going to be a ton of Pro’s in bars around the country and world.
Grohl and FF do not take themselves too seriously. From day one, after what looked like not a whole lot of fun in Nirvana, the FF and Grohl have been fun, silly and stupid. The have a library of the funniest/dumbest videos of all time. Studio 666 - a terrible slasher movie starring the band. The Dee Gees. Jamming with Fraggle Rock. Drum battles with a 14 year old girl. Trolling churches by playing on a flatbed truck. The Hanukkah Sessions. Arguably the best episode ever of Hot Ones, where Grohl owned Sean Evans. This always boded well for a pin and I think the trailer confirms it. A FF pin where the goal is to get play venues to ultimately get to Bonarroo wizard mode muiltiball. No thanks. Cartoons + Scooby Doo + Ghostbusters + Area 41 + FF music. Much more interesting.
FF control their catalog and assets. Through Rosewell, they will be able to give Stern probably anything they want. Compare that to what seems to be going on with Bond. The only issue I could think of is what impact the estate of Taylor Hawkin might have on his likeness in the game. However, he striked me as the kind of guy who would have no problem with a cartoon version of himself screaming callouts for eternity. He’s right there in the front seat of the van, which bodes well.
Dave Grohl is a shill and the Foo Fighters are a marketing machine. If you don’t like FF or Grohl its probably because they are everywhere and Grohl probably annoys you. They take advantage of playing festivals, going on the late night shows, playing the grammy’s. I think this pin will be one of the first that will be actively marketed by not only Stern and distributors but the band. While I think the Stern creative team has been doing nice work lately, I would bet the assets in this game are next level because FF/Grohl and their creative agency will be involved. I can see them having the assets/machine playing on the big screen behind them on tour this summer. They can leverage the investment in the creative assets that way. The last thing they need is whatever minimal royalties they get from a pinball machine - they can make $1m for playing an hour concert at some billionaire son’s bar mitzvah. Grohl does not seem to do anything half assed and I’m sure he’s pretty involved in the development of the game/assets and will do his part to make it successful. It not out of the realm of possibility that he/they put together some new music for the pin. I would bet that when Jack Danger does the livestream reveal of the machine, Grohl will be there downing Coke and Crown shots between every ball.
This could be the machine where new management’s DLC strategy kicks in. I have no inside info here and this is all conjecture. Insider connected and the OTA updates are cool, but you know Stern is angling for more. Building off the last point, FF are active and a marketing machine. Put a FF Pro in a few thousand bars and its a literal billboard for the band. During attract mode: list of upcoming concerts, FF appearing on Colbert Tuesday night, auto-download the newest single/video and play it for the patrons. While one strategy is DLC that owners pay for, the other is pure advertising. Most people here will hate one or both of those use cases that but its coming.
Zombie Yeti has a long relationship with the FF. He’s done many concert posters for them and the alien at the beginning of the teaser is straight from this art work. This is his wheelhouse and would think the art is going to be pretty cool.
Finally, who isn’t rooting for Jack Danger? He’s worked his way up and now gets his first cornerstone with Stern and it’s for the Foo Fighters! We’ve all watched him stream from his apartment and Logan Arcade. Now he’s got Dave Grohl on speed dial. I hope he kills it. F’n A, Jack. Shots of Malort all around.
I’m excited about this.

Quoted from lockeness:

Grohl and FF do not take themselves too seriously. From day one, after what looked like not a whole lot of fun in Nirvana, the FF and Grohl have been fun, silly and stupid. The have a library of the funniest/dumbest videos of all time. Studio 666 - a terrible slasher movie starring the band. The Dee Gees. Jamming with Fraggle Rock. Drum battles with a 14 year old girl. Trolling churches by playing on a flatbed truck. The Hanukkah Sessions. Arguably the best episode ever of Hot Ones, where Grohl owned Sean Evans. This always boded well for a pin and I think the trailer confirms it. A FF pin where the goal is to get play venues to ultimately get to Bonarroo wizard mode muiltiball. No thanks. Cartoons + Scooby Doo + Ghostbusters + Area 41 + FF music. Much more interesting.

Quoted from manadams:

Not understanding what you're asking here.

Quoted from koops:

I think i'm priced out of this hobby now.
[quoted image]

Quoted from Aurich:

I'm understanding this shot right I really want to hit a combo off it.[quoted image]

Quoted from Jason_Jehosaphat:

Those are fun.

Quoted from CrazyLevi:

A game like Godzilla is so awesome because the depth is there for the lunatics, but it's also fun and intuitive for anybody else to play.

Quoted from Hayfarmer:

28 minutes,,,

Quoted from Chambahz:

Definitely a B theme. Wonder when Stern will finally pony-up and get a decent license. /s

Quoted from yancy:

It's .80 code. Callouts are probably the least essential aspect of barebones launch code.

Quoted from RikV:

Welp, and I thought I was going to sit out of the NIB frenzy in 2023...NOPE, I'm in baby! Huge congratulations to Jack and the team at Stern. This game, this reveal, this art, this music...well done! Been keeping up with all the news and streams and going to be watching the pro stream tonight. A couple things I'm watching for are:
1. Besides some kind of multiplier, what else are the van upgrades going to do? Perhaps there is a fully loaded van multi-ball or something of that sort, something that can aid progression rather than just add points.
2. Any other multi-balls planned other than the center alien lock (don't remember the term) and area 51? I'm not a big multi-ball guy but two seems a little thin, for example Deadpool has around 5 than are easily achieved.
3. Looking more closely at the Combotron - that looks pretty sweet.
4. Anything else that peaks my interest and adds to my excitement!

Quoted from jdoz2:

5 right ramps on the pro, you have to progress to Area 51 on the upper playfield for the premium and then hit the right loop on the upper pf to start.

Quoted from EaglePin:

Area 51 MB on the LE last night was:
1) hit the two lock targets on the upper playfield
2) then hit the upper playfield inner orbit to light MB
3) then started MB at the target on the outer loop of the upper playfield that gets exposed by the diverter that lifts up
Jack said he didn't want the upper playfield to be a grind where you feel like you're living on the upper playfield so he's deliberately kept it pretty quick and clean.

Quoted from Hayfarmer:

Reason 2,,, it's fun! :That is a great designed upper, 4 or 5 shots, and its quick. I really like looks of it.

Quoted from tdiddy:

Ugh....it's the little thing that ppl don't catch that drive me nuts. The Van is render backwards on the rightside of the cab vs. All the other images we've seen. I asked stern on their FB page if the van was lefthand drive.........instantly deleted
[quoted image][quoted image]

Quoted from KING-HENRY:Even though I'm in for a Premium, this is the first Stern Pro that looks/plays just as good as most other Stern's Premiums (IM cough cough)..they both are almost very unique and feature-packed in their own right..BUT I MUST HAVE ME UPPER PF..gotta happen; don't see that too often (yet). they both are winners, so choose your victory

Quoted from manadams:

I'd say it's just as fast or faster than turtles.

Quoted from Zablon:

Keep digging.

Quoted from timmmmyboy:

[quoted image]

Quoted from mbrave77:

Hoping someone at my distrib drops out of FF LE and gets a GodFather. I wouldnt mind moving up to LE. Just not paying any flippers...

Quoted from brooklynknight:

I just canceled my Foo LE and put my deposit on the GF CE!!!! This thing looks like a beast and the one thing that pulled me in is when they mentioned they made it like a boardgame. I love rule sets that act like a boardgame. I also noticed the Interface looks a bit like the hobbit which I love!!!!

Quoted from Macca101010:

Tell me why Cookie...I need the facts.
PS - I am hooked too

Quoted from PinMonk:

Jack showed it in the live stream. Looked like hot off the press, wasn't trimmed or finished. But it looked great.[quoted image]

Quoted from EaglePin:

Foo code update .91
V0.91.0 - March 23rd, 2023
=============================
= BUG FIXES =
-Fix bug where van modes didn't reset properly
-Fix overlord lock light effects in Overlord 2 and Overlord 3
-Fix final shot animation when you completed the mode with 0 seconds on the timer.
-Fix bug where area51 and overlord lights would flash during Austin or DC when their multiballs couldn't actually be started
-Fix bug where bot targets would be disabled during Area51 Multiball
-Fix overdrive behavior during multiball: it will now instantly save it upon hitting left outlane switch.
-Fix bug with Rock-O-Meter being lit when it shouldn't
-Fix display issue where the penultimate mode shot would not display its award animation
-Fix bug in roswell where the "too slow" animation would sometimes play after the mode was finished
-Fix UI items showing on screen during Match sequence
-Improve overlord lock device behavior
= RULE TWEAKS =
SKILL SHOT
-add instant mystery award when you get the radio targets skill shot
-left inlane, right inlane, right outlane, Rock-O-Meter now instantly validate playfield
-change Rock-O-Meter skillshot:
level 1 = 1x value
level 2 = 2x value + 1 Rock-O-Meter advancement
level 3 = 3x value + 2 Rock-O-Meter advancement
advancement means turn a light that is off into a blinking light, or a blinking light into a solid light
VAN MODES
-Every van mode now can get one shot awarded from the upper playfield inner loop and upper playfield outer loop.
-When you make the first shot in a city, 6 units of progress are awarded instead of 1.
This number decreases by one for each van mode you have completed.
-Roughly double the scoring in all van modes
-Tweak NY Van Mode so that the spinner value doesn't reset between collects
-NY Van Mode now lights the upper spinner to always build value.
-Tweak Final Shot scoring so completing it with less than 10 seconds on the timer will score a guaranteed minimum award value
-New award display added to Chicago
OVERLORD Multiball
-Change re-lock feature to only bump the jackpot (no longer awards a double jackpot)
-The Right Arm Foobot part will now be awarded upon playing Overlord 2 or Overlord 3 (in addition to getting a super jackpot in Overlord 1)
UFO
-Fixed UFO Button Tractor Beam calculations to more accurately find the most valuable shot
-Do not allow progress towards UFO Buttons on captive ball during multiballs
-UFO base value now 250k
-UFO bonus now lit via the left crossover complete (all the way through to upper flipper) shot, 2x if hit from the upper flipper
DC
-you can now visit DC upon saving 3 cities. If you do this, Austin will be available once you save the other 3.
-add a ball in DC each time you get a unique super jackpot
AUSTIN
-change / balance rules and scoring:
-each red shot increases the multiplier on the blue shot (super jackpot)
-the first time you score a 7x super jackpot, add a ball
-each super increases jackpots by 100k
-new formula for starting jackpot value: 1,000,000 + 500,000 per van mode completed on the
-The Overlord shot will always be lit for 250k and change the location of the blue "bot" shot
COMBOTRON
-tweak Combotron scoring
+10k per band member combo made this ball
+5k per band member combo made this game
AREA 51
-add text over area 51 advance animations so you know the award value
SOUND
-add some missing switch and shot sounds
-add some missing display sequence sounds
LIGHTNING
-reset lightning value after the lightning mode ends
-add display effect for lightning awards
-lightning mode no longer raises shot value with each hit. value is determined by how many lightning shots made up until mode was started
-lightning mode timer 30 seconds --> 40 seconds
MYSTERY
-Allow van mods to be given as mystery awards if you're in a van mode
It will act as though you cleared the drop targets instantly (either adding time, value, or progress in the current mode you are in)
-Fixed Advance Spinner mystery award
-added some missing mystery audits
-add competition mystery award sequence in this order:
-2.5M, Engine Upgraded, Raise Spinner, Speakers Upgraded, Max Tractor Beam, Bomb Upgraded, 5 mil, Bonus X, Light Ball Save, Light Extra Ball
-if it can't award a van mod because you are in a wizard mode, 250k will be awarded instead
BOT FRENZY
-allow Austin and DC to start at the same time as Bot Frenzy or while Bot Frenzy is running.
OVERDRIVE
-the Overdrive points award is now disabled during multiball. The Overdrive post save will still activate.
EXTRA BALL
- When Extra Ball is disabled, Extra Ball consolation points increased from 500,000 --> 10,000,000
This value is affected by Playfield and Raygun Multipliers.
Show consolation points in text on top of the extra ball video
MULTIPLIERS
-Playfield X and Raygun X apply to ALL scores
= ADJUSTMENTS ADDED =
ROCK O METER DIFFICULTY,
-add adjustment ROCK O METER DIFFICULTY, difficulty will go up each time you end a playfield x session, default EXTRA EASY:
Extra Easy: Battery (right orbit) always lit
Easy: Hit the Mod-ulator paddle (target behind the drops) to light battery, battery stays lit until playfield timer expires
Medium: Hit the Mod-ulator paddle to light battery, hitting battery turns it off, unless playfield x timer is running
Hard: Same as Medium but battery is on a 30 second timer, unless playfield x timer is running
Extra hard: Same as Hard but battery on a 15 second timer, unless playfield x timer is running
ADJUSTMENT: PLAYFIELD X SECONDS
-Added adjustment PLAYFIELD X SECONDS, default 40, competition install 30
-Added competition mode adjustment back to standard adjustments
-Added target game time back to standard adjustments
-added adjustment "NUM VAN SHOTS SPOTTED" default 5
-added adjustment "VAN MODE STARTING TIME" default 40 seconds
-added adjustment "TIME ADDED PER VAN SHOT" default 3 seconds
- SYSTEM 3.35