Pinside Test Machine
Pinside Pinball Inc., 2002
The Nightmare Before Christmas
MarkInc, 2019Seriously bar none my absolute favorite HB on this site. I wish I could force myself to build one, but I know just how much effort it takes and I know I'd give up lol. Not just a great theme but everything about it is incredible. So WELL done! I'd buy that over any current new release.
Quoted from MarkInc:Back at the coding.
Fixing bugs, adding more sounds, more videos, light shows, etc.[quoted image]
Any conversation still happening about this ending up a commercial product?
Quoted from PinMonk:Any conversation still happening about this ending up a commercial product?
Still in licensing limbo. I don't think it's a big enough return to cover their lawyer fees.
Not sure who the Disney contact is, but it needs someone passionate about pinball.
Quoted from MarkInc:Still in licensing limbo. I don't think it's a big enough return to cover their lawyer fees.
Not sure who the Disney contact is, but it needs someone passionate about pinball.
I’d buy it tomorrow. Bummed but excited to flip at Chicago expo if you’ll be there!
Quoted from MarkInc:Still in licensing limbo. I don't think it's a big enough return to cover their lawyer fees.
Not sure who the Disney contact is, but it needs someone passionate about pinball.
What a bummer. This is such a cool pin! If I win the lottery...so will you...I need this pin! Good work!!
Quoted from MarkInc:Still in licensing limbo. I don't think it's a big enough return to cover their lawyer fees.
Not sure who the Disney contact is, but it needs someone passionate about pinball.
If JJP made a Disney deal for 1000 jjPotC machines, where PoTC is a multi-billion dollar property, I can't imagine what the holdup is with this much-lesser-income few hundred million dollar property like Nightmare Before Christmas. I mean, you'd have to sell more than a couple hundred machines, but if this was polished up and announced for sale from any of the established pin manufacturers (Stern, JJP, CGC, Spooky, AP) I have to believe it would be one of the best-sellers in recent memory.
Quoted from PinMonk:If JJP made a Disney deal for 1000 jjPotC machines, where PoTC is a multi-billion dollar property, I can't imagine what the holdup is with this much-lesser-income few hundred million dollar property like Nightmare Before Christmas. I mean, you'd have to sell more than a couple hundred machines, but if this was polished up and announced for sale from any of the established pin manufacturers (Stern, JJP, CGC, Spooky, AP) I have to believe it would be one of the best-sellers in recent memory.
The only real complication with that is it running through "compliance". Ask anyone who's ever done product with IP licensing attached. Odds are pretty good they'd want at least one thing in the game changed for production, and more than likely several. Not because of costs, not because of fun, but because of the way things in the game are presented versus the way the IP holder feels they need to be presented. This isn't anywhere near a finished game from that standpoint.
Looking at this machine from a production stand point, the code is lack luster. Hear me out before anyone gets mad. Comparing the visual code (different from rule set) to what (for instance) what JJP or Stern does, it is not polished and lacks that professional appearance. (Better than what I could do so much respect). If this was my machine, I'd know my limitations and I'd seek to hire someone to give it what it needs. THEN I'd look to sell my design to someone like CGC. The machine is designed and more less coded. Can't see how any company wouldn't take a hard look at this. Again, this is by far my absolute favorite HB machine and I would LOVE to own this title.
Quoted from PinMonk:If JJP made a Disney deal for 1000 jjPotC machines, where PoTC is a multi-billion dollar property, I can't imagine what the holdup is with this much-lesser-income few hundred million dollar property like Nightmare Before Christmas. I mean, you'd have to sell more than a couple hundred machines, but if this was polished up and announced for sale from any of the established pin manufacturers (Stern, JJP, CGC, Spooky, AP) I have to believe it would be one of the best-sellers in recent memory.
I think it's pretty obvious if JJP could overcome the licencing issues, this would be a humongous title for them. But it's probably not that easy. The design wasn't developed in house; there would be the licencing costs and restrictions we're all familiar with; it doesn't fit in their schedule for what they've been working on, etc. Spooky is locked in too and needs to keep Scott happy with development of his next release. Maybe Chicago Gaming? (but they have their "slam dunk" strategy of reproducing tried and true titles and this doesn't fit that). I could only possibly see a fit with American Pinball (maybe)? Depends on how much money they've sunk into those Robin Hood etc...designs which I'm doubtful about, frankly. If they did Nightmare, it would certainly pull them up a bit for pinball street cred -- that's for sure.
And Stern wouldn't touch it, I believe...they are heavy into their own development cycles, teams and designers.
But I'm seeing how an independent's design of a heavily licenced title might cause companies to take a step back and say "Awesome but we can't touch it."
Quoted from CLEllison:Looking at this machine from a production stand point, the code is lack luster. Hear me out before anyone gets mad. Comparing the visual code (different from rule set) to what (for instance) what JJP or Stern does, it is not polished and lacks that professional appearance. (Better than what I could do so much respect). If this was my machine, I'd know my limitations and I'd seek to hire someone to give it what it needs. THEN I'd look to sell my design to someone like CGC. The machine is designed and more less coded. Can't see how any company wouldn't take a hard look at this. Again, this is by far my absolute favorite HB machine and I would LOVE to own this title.
I don't think anyone would disagree with you. Keith's homebrew Archer screen design was pretty crappy and it had the animated series to draw from, too. Once it was converted to Iron Maiden and had Stern's art and design resources, the screen experience got a LOT better (but we lost the subways, varitarget and some other cool hardware features due to Stern cost-cutting).
Quoted from CLEllison:Looking at this machine from a production stand point, the code is lack luster. Hear me out before anyone gets mad. Comparing the visual code (different from rule set) to what (for instance) what JJP or Stern does, it is not polished and lacks that professional appearance. (Better than what I could do so much respect). If this was my machine, I'd know my limitations and I'd seek to hire someone to give it what it needs.
That sounds a bit destructive and offensive to me. Please give Mark three concrete things to improve on.
Quoted from PinMonk:I don't think anyone would disagree with you. Keith's homebrew Archer screen design was pretty crappy and it had the animated series to draw from, too. Once it was converted to Iron Maiden and had Stern's art and design resources, the screen experience got a LOT better (but we lost the subways, varitarget and some other cool hardware features due to Stern cost-cutting).
Did you play the game? What is missing in your opinion?
Quoted from jabdoa:Did you play the game? What is missing in your opinion?
No, I've just watched the feeds for Archer and Nightmare Before Christmas. Not sure which one you're talking about.
while I think that everyone feels that they could find something that they would do differently, personally I think that mark has actually done a better job with this than keith did with archer. the game just feels and plays really nice. could it benefit from nicer animations, yeah probably, but what mark has done is "his" vision of the game and again, I think that he's hit it out of the park
keith stated himself that some of the mechs were not as reliable as he wanted them to be, which is why they were eliminated from iron maiden (the subway was probably a cost cutting measure from stern
I'm hosting league night in 2 weeks for LOPL.
Nightmare Before Christmas will make it's competition debut!
So the polishing continues....
- SANTA completed light show, lighting changes
- GI flash changes
- Allow ribbon enable for door start even when char wiz is ready
- 2 reds, 2 greens for xmas mode
- Easier stitch multiplier in char sally mode, sfx fix on ball drain
- Zero helper when soup gate open
- More videos and tweaks
- High score music and sfx
- More vids, ramp combos, skill shot tweaks, fixes
- Adjust LSB scoring, Valentines bug targets, hide looper during halloween
- Hinterland qualify vid, pumpkin vid, etc.
- Fix Oogie VS Sally mode, add another video
- Dont show deliver when not available, better BugBash lights
- Folkstar music loop
- Fix mystery/chair/jack during BugBash
- Fix info typos, BugBash stuff
- Zero crash fix
- More What'sThis points for christmastown, complete message fix, audio timeout fix
- More sfx for spot-a-mode and player 4 added
- BugBash MB - add a ball message for completing all bugs
- Clover for st Patricks
- Spot last mode, more start voices, info fixes
Quoted from scruffypinball:Any chances at a stream?
My home internet (Bell) speeds suck. Last time we went through my and Orby's cell phones but it chewed through data like it was candy.
I'll have to look into other providers and see if they have better.
Quoted from MarkInc:My home internet (Bell) speeds suck. Last time we went through my and Orby's cell phones but it chewed through data like it was candy.
I'll have to look into other providers and see if they have better.
Or at the very least, record it and upload later.
Quoted from MarkInc:It's a WIP folks - please remember that.
To paraphrase Martin: "Who would want to sleep in that house with no walls? It's too draughty!"
So, what you are REALLY saying is "pinball is easy" and your next home brew machine is going to incorporate a working vibraphone.
Did I get that right? 
Quoted from bruinfan:So, what you are REALLY saying is "pinball is easy" and your next home brew machine is going to incorporate a working vibraphone.
Did I get that right?
It's all in where it's struck. Where would you like me to hit you? 
Quoted from MarkInc:The game was a hit at league night. We had 32 players. I did not get hi score on my own machine!
It kicked my ass! 
Quoted from MarkInc:Sorry, I forgot to tell you all about the secret button presses!
I knew it!!!
Quoted from MarkInc:Ok, here are a few of them:
Left button fires the left flipper. Right button fires the right flipper - press it harder and it fires the upper right flipper!
Quoted from MarkInc:We made it. Set up in vendor hall tomorrow morning. Hall opens to public at 6pm.
See y’all there!
Awesome! Can’t wait to see and play this pin, love it
Quoted from MarkInc:Yes. And it survived another event.
And it kicked my ass again
Quoted from MarkInc:Yes. And it survived another event.
Oh good! I was hoping it held up for the 2nd shift! (seeing as how I already broke one machine on early shift 
)
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