Josh knows - he's the one who posted what I'm talking about. I should clarify, he was thinking that MIGHT be what it is, and was working with Gerry about it. I don't want to imply I know something more deep about what's going on. bobukcat is the one who really seems to have it bad. I don't really notice it during games, and I would be lying if I said it affected my gameplay at all. The Power Supply is a 100% must; the flipper situation changed significantly for the better after I installed that.

I don't want to clog up Josh's inbox with stuff like this when he could be working on the next update! There's still a couple missing animations and minor bugs that he's already aware of. One last awesome update would really knock the ball out of the park.

AP + The Matrix = a must buy from me!

I hope whatever the next game is it has physical drop targets. Whenever I play my collection the newer games lack that satisfaction. It would be a good way to stand out in the crowd of manufacturers. Heck I'll pay another $100. Also I haven't seen a game with pop up targets in the playfield in a long time like all the classics,cactus canyon ,medieval madness, and circus voltair. That simple effect changes a game entirely.
After owning Oktoberfest and seeing the premium quality and support from AP I am already saving my money.

Hobbit.

LTG : )

Still havnt played that one. Hard to find on location. I hear its great.

It really came into it's own in the last year or so.

LTG : )

It is OUTSTANDING. And 3/4 of the game is pop-up targets, with standups behind each one. It's a one of a kind machine. Those pop targets are VERY loud though!

I think Columbo would be a good theme... think of the modes:

Droopy Hound Dog mode
Invisible Wife mode
Guess His First Name mode
When Will His Car Die? mode

Others more clever than me can come up with the multiballs... I'm done.

Oh..... but just one last thing!

Ghostbusters....Jp prem+?

Not cool what you leak.
'Hey I'm the first guy to post an illegal Pic"
You want to be that Guy?

Oh yeah gost busters. Havnt seen a JP premium yet but glad they put that in to an already fun game.

That picture needs to be more grainy! I want 4 pixels or none at all!

Screenshotting Youtube videos is illegal?

BJ and The Bear

Oh, and our local has a Houdini and an Oktoberfest. Great games. Really enjoy shooting Oktoberfest.

Looking forward to the next Pin you guys put out.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We have a leak!

In the ship or the project?

A leak of what ? We'll never know. Could be real. Could be employees betting a buck ahead on how long it takes to get to Pinside. Closest guess wins the pot.

LTG : )

American Pinball will be releasing more info next week. Special when lit will have some pics up Monday

Who doesn’t love ghost ship/pirate themes! Booty-ful if it is so

Still not cool to blow a company's announcement.

The video I screenshotted this from was posted on October 22 so this has been out there for a while. I just found it the other day. Maybe American Pinball shouldn't allow people to take videos in their factory and post them to Youtube?

Imaginary friends don’t count.

Fake or not. Thats a cool original title that doesn't need a license to back it up. The backbox is an unusual shape for AP. I love sea ships and treasure. Maybe I'll hold off on getting a Black Rose.

Hell yeah I think AP has fantastic themes so far! I hope they continue doing themes that aren't just based on some popular movie. I'm a big fan of their originality so far.

Pinside makes me scratch my head. Clamoring for original themes and then the reception is luke warm at best. I couldn't imagine being the head of a pinball manufacturer trying to guess what theme will turn the public on. I feel like pinball is like online dating. If you don't dig the exterior package the interior piece doesn't matter. I dont personally care for either current released theme and Sherlock isn't a theme I care for either. BUT they are original and I highly suspect as time goes on AP is going to get better at what they do. I SINCERELY appreciate them taking an avenue to produce not just an original theme but a theme that hasn't already been done to death (like alien themes).

Here’s the reality for original themes. People
Love original themes of the 80’s and 90’s...and when they bought those games they were a few hundred to a ~$1000 to buy...not $7500+. So for an original theme to sell in 2019, it has to be so unbelievably amazing, the buyer MUST have it. A big component of that is art, and AP’s games look bad. Houdini is OK, but OK doesn’t cut it at these prices. Oktoberfest is a poor theme & atrocious art. LCD animation is poor as well. $7500 for something that looks like it was made for 90’s PC CD-ROM is embarrassing.

For an original theme to sell, it needs to be a cool/fun/approachable-by-all theme with insanely gorgeous art.

Even so - original themes won’t front sell like a nostalgic license. Stern gets licenses that people already love, so they buy it before they even play it. CGC is making B/W games people already love...they’re original, but they are known. No one will buy an original theme in 2019 without playing it. They’ll wait & see. For a pinball factory that needs to keep the line moving, that is death.

Oktoberfest sits next to modern Stern machine in my local. Also, 3 other Classic machines in that bank.

Oktoberfest sees as much or more play than all but one of the classics and 3 to 1 on the Modern Stern. It has more than enough appeal in theme and art package. And the longer it is there, the harder it gets to actually get on it. That speaks well for its appeal.

I know people love the Licensed Themes....But it isn't always a winning recipe.
TWD have absolutely awful art package. It's horrible, really. And it doesn't shoot/play nearly as well as either of the American Machines that are out.

But people like that stupid show I guess?

I try to add perspective into every aspect of life. While I don't at all disagree with you, is it possible (spoiler alert yes) Oktoberfest gets more play because it's better lit, looks newer because it has a LCD screen with videos and overall "shinier"? Honestly I believe the answer to be .... absolutely. Keep in mind I'm looking at this from the angle of the quantity of plays by non pinhead vs pinhead. And here's what's funny. It doesn't matter what the actual answer is. It's raking in the dough for you!

You know what would be a good test is to make yourself a pair of cheap pinstadium lighting and put it in one older game. And then see if your income on that machine increases or not.

I try to add perspective into every aspect of life. While I don't at all disagree with you, is it possible (spoiler alert yes) Oktoberfest gets more play because it's better lit, looks newer because it has a LCD screen with videos and overall "shinier"? Honestly I believe the answer to be .... absolutely. Keep in mind I'm looking at this from the angle of the quantity of plays by non pinhead vs pinhead. And here's what's funny. It doesn't matter what the actual answer is. It's raking in the dough for you!
You know what would be a good test is to make yourself a pair of cheap pinstadium lighting and put it in one older game. And then see if your income on that machine increases or not. Let's face it, the older titles look like dark and dingy turds when next to a new title.

Ok, so you and guitarded are talking about location play. If it’s doing great on location, that’s awesome. I would expect it to in a barcade venue, for sure. But - home sales are a big factor for the pinball companies, collectors and buyers. A game like this is not going to sell well for home use. Even if the art was amazing, people would take a wait and see approach vs. instantly buying something based on a theme they already love. That’s just the nature of the market on a high priced geeky collectible.

Every 'New' Machine in a space gets initial plays based on its Newness. New model, or just new to the venue. All get the same attention until that Newness wears off.

Oktoberfest gets that and then multiple repeats from a lot those players. The serious Pinheads that are local seem to like enough to stay on it. And newbies keep feeding it as well. Probably doesn't hurt that the place is also a brewery.
There's a Houdini there as well and it gets a lot of play, but not nearly as much and I think that is owing to the (lack of) speed to the game. It's just a slower machine to play.

I really think the short term will show Oktoberfest to be a real winner. It's got a lot going for it. And it makes the Sterns (pros) look sparse and a bit low budget, really.

Is anyone at IAAPA Expo? American said they'd be showing "something NEW and different" (redemption game) there today. Just curious to see what it is, even if it's not pinball.

Here’s some pics of the prototype redemption game. I have been told they will reveal today at the IAAPA show in Orlando. 81CEB240-388F-4237-883E-4A0CF7F306C5 (resized).jpeg8B26672C-2DDE-40F2-B0A1-49D1E2CF8424 (resized).jpegDE270A3E-D5BF-4FBF-94FE-6803E68CD33B (resized).jpeg

Here is the redemption game by American Arcade- the game division of America Pinball

B384022E-C55F-48FF-8363-270BC4C407B0 (resized).jpeg

Are you the operator at this location with access to audits and earnings? Or just speculating?

Our one location in NYC that had AP games (sunshine) neither lasted more than a month on the floor.

Players didn’t like them, and the GP wasn’t putting money into them.

Seems like a good idea. That’s where the money is and seems like most redemption games are non licensed.

Well this is pretty cool. I was really hoping for some moving bash toy pirate ships to destroy on a pinball machine though

I can tell you because I DO have access to earning reports for games on several test location around the country. Oktoberfest has been in the top 10 earning machines at these location since June. Oktoberfest has been the TOP earner since June at one brewery location in the midwest.

image (1) (resized).png

Hope they do well with this. People shouldn’t be mad. If they have greater profit on this, that means possibly more money for the pinball business.

Pinball#3 is coming along nicely
We think you'll like it.

My buddy is the Owner / Operator.

I am going by his report of earnings / audits and Feedback from talking to his patrons.
Oktoberfest is a big hit with them and according to him, Houdini has been an above average earner. Though (anecdotally) not as popular with the novice flippers I have talked to.

Is it a ball shooter? Crazy!

I was kinda hoping Flying Dutchman would be the pinball theme! Oh well, still looks crazy interesting!

Congrats to American. Looks good.

Why is there a trademark indication on "The Flying Dutchman"? Does that mean they are paying someone else to use this name, if so who as this seems like a very, very old mystical vessel the rights to which wouldn't be owned by anyone, or does it mean they own the right to that name for use on games? I am almost certain to never see one of these in person, just curious.

I thought we were going to go to D&B for your birthday? Bummer.