(Topic ID: 261167)

The most reliable DMD/MODERN games

By screaminr

4 years ago


Topic Heartbeat

Topic Stats

  • 25 posts
  • 18 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 4 years ago by screaminr
  • Topic is favorited by 2 Pinsiders

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    #1 4 years ago

    My fish tails has been Flawless for 20 years , have only had to replace a belt for the lock mechanism and dried out rubbers . Getaway was also a very reliable with no issues , where as my WOZ and Hobbit have had their fair share of problems . My friend's GB and WH2O have had a few issues but his WD and GOTG have been fine . I know it's not fair to compare something like WOZ to FT. Some people might have had a lot of issues with one game but other people might not have had any problems with the same game .With that being said , let us know what have been your most reliable dmd / modern games . I'm talking about Mechanical and Electrical problems not issues like dimpling , chipping and broken Plastics .

    #2 4 years ago

    Any game i routes seems to break, except sopranos has been pretty solid.

    Out of my hou games, GB prem has never broke...

    #3 4 years ago

    Gottlieb System 3's are tanks. I know of many examples still on route 25 years later still running like a top. Talking to the operator, only thing done to the MAJORITY of them, was changing the flat lithium batteries after 20 years, and rubber changes. Playfields even look super nice because they opted for the factory installed mylar playfield protectors on all their games.

    #4 4 years ago
    Quoted from Grandnational007:

    Gottlieb System 3's are tanks. I know of many examples still on route 25 years later still running like a top. Talking to the operator, only thing done to the MAJORITY of them, was changing the flat lithium batteries after 20 years, and rubber changes. Playfields even look super nice because they opted for the factory installed mylar playfield protectors on all their games.

    I agree. All the non pinball people that ask me to find them games, I recommend sys3’s

    #5 4 years ago

    The reliability kings I've seen in my limited time are Fish Tales and Stern Star Trek.

    #6 4 years ago

    Iron Man is one of those games you find on location in absolutely shittiest condition, and somehow the only thing that doesn't work is the up post in the orbit and some lighting.

    #7 4 years ago

    My Stern Black Knight, Guardians Of The Galaxy, Game Of Thrones, Metallica, Walking Dead, and Aerosmith have not had any issues since I have owned them.

    #8 4 years ago
    Quoted from Coolpinballdino:

    My Stern Black Knight, Guardians Of The Galaxy, Game Of Thrones, Metallica, Walking Dead, and Aerosm have not had any issues since I have owned them.

    That's a good run .

    #9 4 years ago
    Quoted from Coolpinballdino:

    My Stern Black Knight, Guardians Of The Galaxy, Game Of Thrones, Metallica, Walking Dead, and Aerosm have not had any issues since I have owned them.

    is black knight not new enough for the coil stop rivets to break? I feel like that is the same era... THe new sterns coil stops are failing at a super high rate, now that is luckily a very easy part to replace.

    #10 4 years ago

    Stern SAM machines are mostly rock-solid in my experience, followed by WPC95 games.

    #11 4 years ago

    The stern SAM systems I find to be very reliable like wpc games.

    Must admit that the JJP games have a worse rep when I visit a local repair shop. They ofcourse have a lot more going on but he is maintaining for instance a routed TH and he sees it more as average

    #13 4 years ago

    Stern SAM...I own Star Trek Vaulted Pro and never an issue.

    #14 4 years ago

    My TAF was super solid and reliable. Not sure if the same with others.

    #15 4 years ago

    Games of the 1990's: GTB System 3 games are rock solid.

    I had a Stern Iron Man on route and it worked perfectly for years. The newest Stern games with the node boards may not hold up on route as good as the games before then.

    #16 4 years ago
    Quoted from CrazyLevi:

    Jackbot never breaks!!!

    Except the visor or the ramp lift...it is a really rock solid game. Especially for the route. It’s always earned. Maybe that’s why we’ve ran once since it was new!

    #17 4 years ago

    Basic games like tron, avatar, iron man, etc are and have been great.
    Spike games have been very good, a little more “wear” parts replacement, but No real board work.
    Most the wpc or older Stern/de seem to need work more often.
    Original 80s Bally boardsets work great, after refurb.

    #18 4 years ago

    For the operators who have responded, your responses have got me to wondering about something. Do you keep a record of "trouble" calls versus number of games played?

    I'll give an example. In the bowling industry, bowling centers use a metric called "frames per stop" - a calculation of how many frames have been bowled on a lane versus how many "stops" it has had. The higher the fps, the better a pinspotter/pinsetter is running thus a better turnover on the lanes. It can also call attention to a troublesome machine. A stop could refer to anything which causes bowlers to have to stop bowling: dead wood, pin out of range, pin jam, etc.

    So, I was wondering if operators keep a record of repairs, stuck balls, coin jams, etc. versus how many games have been played on their machines. To my way of thinking, this would be the only way to tell how reliable a machine really is. I don't know. Your thoughts?

    #19 4 years ago

    Most games I've owned have been great after my initial shop job when I first get them. If you do it right the first time they are usually good for years and thousands of plays later.

    #20 4 years ago

    My TZ and FamilyGuy are ready to be put on route, both WPC and SAM system in my experience have been super reliable at home for past 4years. Like BigB said just repair it right the first time and you’ll be fine.

    Quoted from SKWilson:

    For the operators who have responded, your responses have got me to wondering about something. Do you keep a record of "trouble" calls versus number of games played?
    I'll give an example. In the bowling industry, bowling centers use a metric called "frames per stop" - a calculation of how many frames have been bowled on a lane versus how many "stops" it has had. The higher the fps, the better a pinspotter/pinsetter is running thus a better turnover on the lanes. It can also call attention to a troublesome machine. A stop could refer to anything which causes bowlers to have to stop bowling: dead wood, pin out of range, pin jam, etc.
    So, I was wondering if operators keep a record of repairs, stuck balls, coin jams, etc. versus how many games have been played on their machines. To my way of thinking, this would be the only way to tell how reliable a machine really is. I don't know. Your thoughts?

    “frames per stop” is a manufacturer term(Brunswick/AMF).

    Being a 82-70mechanic we do keep a record of calls aka stops but it’s nearly impossible to also keep a record of balls/frames thrown. Also many/most calls aka stops for a well maintained bowling center are not due to machine failure.. But instead due to “off spots” and “respots”- which naturally come no matter what.

    #21 4 years ago
    Quoted from Bowlingpin:

    “frames per stop” is a manufacturer term(Brunswick/AMF).

    Where ever it came from, it is a term that has been used in every bowling center I ever worked in.

    Quoted from Bowlingpin:

    Being a 82-70mechanic we do keep a record of calls aka stops but it’s nearly impossible to also keep a record of balls/frames thrown. Also many/most calls aka stops for a well maintained bowling center are not due to machine failure.. But instead due to “off spots” and “respots”- which naturally come no matter what.

    I disagree about it being nearly impossible to keep a record of balls/frames. Balls are usually metered in some way. Either by old-school analog meters or by the scoring system. Yeah, they may not be 100% accurate, but you can get a close estimate as to how many balls have been thrown. And, as I said a stop can be anything that halts play. In pinball, that could be a stuck ball.

    In any case, I was just drawing an analogy as a possibility to see how reliable a pinball machine really is.

    And, 82-70s are pretty awesome machines. I only worked in one center that had them (the others had As or A2s), but they were super reliable.

    #22 4 years ago
    Quoted from SKWilson:

    Where ever it came from, it is a term that has been used in every bowling center I ever worked in.

    I disagree about it being nearly impossible to keep a record of balls/frames. Balls are usually metered in some way. Either by old-school analog meters or by the scoring system. Yeah, they may not be 100% accurate, but you can get a close estimate as to how many balls have been thrown. And, as I said a stop can be anything that halts play. In pinball, that could be a stuck ball.
    In any case, I was just drawing an analogy as a possibility to see how reliable a pinball machine really is.
    And, 82-70s are pretty awesome machines. I only worked in one center that had them (the others had As or A2s), but they were super reliable.

    Totally get it, different centers use different terms. Both head mechanics st each house I’ve worked under felt it’s not accurate and just keeping track of stops was more than efficient. And I agree.

    Anything is possible but it’s nearly impossible to be accurate enough to measure FPS and have any credibility. Too many factors including lineage, number of lanes, are we counting practice?(10min before each league) usually on strike cycle. Respots and offspots? are calls that need to be immediately addressed and halt play even though it’s not a machine error. Hence, FPS being a manufacturing term because it’s in a controlled environment and it helps them sell you the next model because it does 5000fps compared to the 3500fps model from 10years ago.

    To answer your other question- I highly doubt pinball operators keep a record of a ball getting stuck or a coin jamming etc.

    I assume most good operators will fix the issue as soon as it arises and/or might make a mental note of something they need to adjust later. Seems silly to mark a log of a ball getting stuck or a coin jamming- unless they are unavailable/away- possibly an employee would make a list for the Op. Only thing I can see keeping a record of would be spare parts/parts order for a large route.

    #23 4 years ago

    Gottlieb system 3’s are unreal. I still have them on route and they never die!

    Jackbot, fish tales, AFM and even TAF are good WPC games.

    TRON, Maiden, TWD, Ironman, GOT, Playboy are all great Sterns. Star Trek is also decent but VERY hard to service optos when they fail around the ramp and ship area! Metallica is decent, but drops break and they are difficult to replace due to a poor design. AC/DC is terrible. The canon design is horrific.

    #24 4 years ago
    Quoted from pinballkyle:

    Gottlieb system 3’s are unreal. I still have them on route and they never die!
    Jackbot, fish tales, AFM and even TAF are good WPC games.
    TRON, Maiden, TWD, Ironman, GOT, Playboy are all great Sterns. Star Trek is also decent but VERY hard to service optos when they fail around the ramp and ship area!

    #25 4 years ago
    Quoted from CrazyLevi:

    Jackbot never breaks!!!

    Geez , what's with the freaky new Avatar
    CrazyLevi .

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