pinballguru Hi Jon--I was always curious about the Stargate whitewood prototype that surfaced a few years ago.

https://www.ipdb.org/showpic.pl?id=2847&picno=67321

What were some of the design plans for it? Since it's so different than the final design, was there a reason why this one was abandoned?

Was anything designed/installed for the bundles of wires to the left of the left ramp and to the right of the pop bumpers? I was curious if something was there originally, especially because of the interesting mechanisms that appeared on the final game.

The playfield has an auto-launcher (with an unusual looking cover plate) and even though the cabinet has a plunger cutout, it doesn't look like there would be enough space for a plunger. Do you have any details on that and why only Super Mario Bros. was the only other game with a launch button rather than a plunger? Or any details on the reason for an auto-launcher on this game, and why the cover plate seems to hide the ball from the player?
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pinballguru Just want to say thanks for all the great games you designed! Stargate was my first pin and I absolutely love it, one of my most favorite pins for sure.

I have been seriously into pinball since 2009 and I have always loved Gottlieb System 80s and System 3s! I can’t see why these games get overlooked as they bring terrific art packages, themes, sounds, and gameplay. Thanks for being a part of such an important part of Pinball. It would be a dream come true if Gottlieb were to ever make a comeback. That name is ICONIC in pinball

I don't have a question at the moment, but you knocked it out of the park with Big Hurt.

Hey Jon @pinballguru! Big fan of your work; truly works of art.

I know that when you were at Gottlieb/Premier, you basically had 1 shot at the code (unlike Stern which can gets literally YEARS of development). This meant that in some cases, games went out the door that maybe you would have liked to refine a bit more. I'm curious if you can speak specifically to Super Mario Brothers and in hindsight, what you would have loved to have seen happen (if anything) with further code development? Furthermore, are there ways that code could be developed further for those old Sys 3 gems? Thanks

Never even saw that Stargate whitewood! Sooo Awesome!
Even though I must admit that the final game seems to be a lot better layout-wise!

It's awesome to see Jon Norris here, always love reading his stories and insight in The Pinball Compendiums!

Gottlieb was not afraid to at least try things.!

I've got a Lights Camera Action sitting in the basement. It's a sleeper hit at parties, and everyone can relate to the theme. It's crazy to think that it was released the same year as Earthshaker, and from a rules perspective, LCA is LIGHTYEARS ahead in depth. Even though it interferes with scoring balance, I really like the catch up feature and the random awards. Kinda gives the game a "Mario Party" feel when playing. Tons of fun. Thanks for all your work in the industry, Jon!