I encourage you to consider it for the Saratoga Silverball! A lot of the feedback from other shows was taken into consideration and the volunteers were all briefed and aware. At the top of the list was behavior and treatment of the machines! Without game bringers there is no show. Good games bring good crowds. It’s not worth it to allow abusive, disrespectful people to ruin the show just to make a buck. We did a pretty good job this year and everyone who did bring a game seemed pleased with the experience. Next year we’re working to make it bigger with more vendors! Hope to see many new AND familiar faces.

Pintastic was great, hopefully my other post about Halloween wasn’t misconstrued. The games were all treated pretty well and I saw several volunteers/staff throughout the show.
There were TONS of newbies, and the shaking of some games was probably a bad habit picked up by watching techs and experienced pinheads coupled with newbies not understanding the nuance and finesse involved.

My only complaints and suggestions would be to make it more obvious how to report issues and where to find staff. The online portal was awesome, I reported Robo War was out of credits. However, if you watch Todd’s stream, Pinball New’s stream and myself spending 6 hours Saturday in the freeplay room, it was nearly always empty. That was a mega bummer, it was one of the games I really enjoy playing when given the chance! In the future folks who bring Gottlieb's like that should consider adding a simple credit button running the wires through the coin return. It’s easy, reversible and harmless.

Not sure if there was a tech area or staff booth, couldn’t find it. In the future it would be awesome to have something prominent to report issues, check the status of past reports, and a general good place to answer questions. The main place I went to ask questions was the box office, they tried their best.

Realistically those are small qualms and the show was EXCELLENT! I really, really enjoyed it and will definitely attend all 4 days in June and bring a game or two! Almost brought Target Alpha and regret seconding guessing myself and not bringing it!

Same situation as many other stated. Went in and asked if it was okay to be there, lol! Saw a lot of familiar faces so that helped too. Club room was great, thanks to whoever brought Time Fantasy. Finally got Snail Time for the first time ever after spending 5 hours playing the one at Allentown!
What a blast!!

Still confused. Are the Extra Ball Lounge room and the SNH room two separate things? If I have general admission what can I access?

From Pintastic web site:

While our main Free Play Room is packed with pinball and other games, we bring in more for those who buy Premium and Limited Edition admission packages. Our Extra Ball Lounge℠ is a separate room down the hall that will have about 20-30 specially-selected pinball machines, mostly very recent titles and pimped-out games from Gabe’s private collection. Some of the game titles may be repeats of games placed elsewhere; some will only be found in this room.

For Premium badge-holders, the room provides another place to play after 10:00 PM each night until 6:00 AM the next morning, escaping the main free play crowds.

For Limited Edition badge-holders, the room is open continuously from Thursday at 11:00 AM to Sunday at 6:00 AM! That’s 67 HOURS of straight Pinball! Can you handle it?

NOT AVAILABLE WITH GENERAL ADMISSION

Extra ball lounge is a different room than club room. Only accessible with a multi day pass.

If you are able to automatically text or email the owner if a game is marked as down, that would be a huge plus. My game was marked as down in the system for some reason.

I would also like to add that Pintastic techs were outfitted in bright neon yellow vests this year. There were a minimum of two techs on the floor at all times and a few times we had four techs. Two machines on the floor were brought with credit issues and the tech team worked diligently to keep games on those two machines. Robo war was not one of these machines that was brought to our attention as needing credits. Robo war was worked on a few times during the show by the owner and I know one time he was chasing ground issues which on that era Gottlieb can cause the game to look like it is in attract mode but in actuallity the game is locked up. Two occasions this year machines went down and the owners avoided the repair teams attempts to contact them to have the machine looked at. Both instances were first time attendees / first time game bringers and they did not know about the tech teams involvement in the show. All in all it was a great show for the tech team and being able to keep machines running, besides the normal new buyers wanting to keep their machines off there were only six machines that went down with catastrophic failures.

Notifying the owner of a down machine is done manually by one of the tech staff. Some game bringers do not want to be notified of minor issues and tell us to go and repair as necessary unless it is a major repair. During peak times notifying and getting the owner to their machine can be extremely time consuming and usually ends up with a machine being down longer than it needs to be, sometimes hours.
As with all processes there is a learning curve, we were unaware that as we were doing repairs and marking them as complete in the system that they were not being cleared as completed. I would suspect your machine was involved.

The short yellow rollover guide on the right on the top of the playfield was on backwards. I my noticed because I did the same thing on my Atlantis.

Thanks for the tip! Where should I send the ribbon?

I've been following this thread but I'll be honest in that I'm relatively sure I've probably missed something but WRT getting info about down machines in an efficient manner...

I'm surprised you've not considered labeling of machines with a individualized QR code. This could link to an electronic feedback system (issues or comments) in general. The code ensures that the correct game is registered and would be easy for folks with phones to submit an issue and maybe even add a pic or whatever. But it directs them to the system and populates the important data for them. Might even be a way to get more info about said game. Just a though.

They do have a QR code, url, etc.

Honestly it never occurred to me to pull out my phone, scan it, and make a report. I'm too busy enjoying everything else going on. Path of least resistance...

All machines have tag on them with a scannable QR Code, once scanned a window opens up which you can select repair and there is an area to describe the issue.

LOL, as I suspected. I didn't pick up on that in this conversation. Amazing that people still got the game wrong?

Does it auto populate the game #? Assuming then all of the incorrect game IDs came from the white board or non online entries?

Yes, the program auto populates the game number. Most people who use the white board only put the game name and not the game number. The amount of white board entries for the entire show was roughly 12 machines, most repair reporting went via the system. I have no idea where the claim that there were incorrect game numbers as we did not experience this. As stated in one of my previous posts we were having an issue with the software where one of the techs would go in and close the repair ticket. Instead of the ticket getting closed and removed from the repair log the ticket was being reopened and no information from the tech was being saved, this was discovered and corrected within a few hour period. As for non online registered games they go through a process when the game enters the building and gets immediately entered into the system. Machines are not allowed into any room without a tag.

Coming from you I take that as a huge compliment! Your always ready to leave after one day at any other show. The fact you missed being there is huge indication we are doing something right.

To build on what Brimc is explaining, we log all machines into the MyFlipR system. There were times this weekend where certain games may not have had a tag displayed. Outside of Thursday, when we did a bulk printing run of tags in the early evening, the untagged machines were almost all a batch of staff-owned pins that weren’t flagged to me until late on Saturday. (We printed the cards but got diverted onto other tasks so they simply didn’t get applied). Very VERY rarely, a tag would go missing from a game bringers game, but we printed replacements for those as soon as we were made aware.

We’ve been refining this system over the past few shows, and have made some big leaps forward with it. My ambition for 2022 is to print cards as games arrive so that the URL Info is posted immediately upon set up. Our game bringers also shared some great feedback that we also plan to implement and we look forward to continuing to use this program to help our team monitor and service the games that are shared out on the free play floor and other locations for the show.

MyFlipR 2.0 Pintastic 2022

Lol! I don't want your ribbon ...I have enough of my own. . I just happened to notice it and thought I'd send a friendly message so you know about it. I didn't think it was a good idea to mention it when we were doing the podcast and until I saw your post, didn't know how to contact you. Kindest regards.

I'd never tap in a URL LOL... QR or some other format (even going to the pintastic website and linking in from there) or I'd probably just walk away and leave it.

It sounds to me like you guys have this well under control.

I never thought I'd actually ask for an app on my phone but if there was a generic one (i.e. used by all shows) that handled this function that's what I'd like to see. If it handled all the notifications, tracking, even all the show BS for signup etc (pre-registration). It could even track how well folks games perform for future shows (LOL I'm asking for a rating system, man how drunk I must be) and inclusion into tournaments or places where higher expectations for operation are necessary. Anyway, wish I had more time to code up this stuff. Too many irons.

Great job with Pintastic this year. The volunteers did a great job!
I enjoyed bring a couple games and found the check-in process very easy.

One suggestion I would make is to increase the size of the font used to display the price is a game was for sale. I spoke to a few people just to make sure it was not my eyesight. They all said they could not see the price from the players perspective.
I know you can take out your phone and scan the QR code to get more information but if you are going to put the price on the green card, maybe make that price twice or three times the current size?

Looking forward to coming back in June.

FYI this is the game bringer card we put on games. Photo credit to Martin Ayub of "Pinball News".

036-pintastic-2021 (resized).jpg

Much bigger font needed along with YOU COULD OWN THIS GAME.

Green color means nothing to most people.

I don’t think it’s a huge deal or needs the hard sell but games for sale should have the price in a very large font.

I'd have thought the tech/bringer card would be placed under the glass where the price card would normally be in the apron.. but maybe too many folks put extended or custom crap in there?? All the way up there on the backbox, I agree, that's basically not useful. You'd have to slip between games to get up close enough to do anything with that. I'd be surprised if you could actually scan that code, let alone read that, while standing at the front of the game.

Was it color coded, green for sale?!? I didn’t even know that. And the prices were so small!

I wanted that Caribbean Cruise. Poor thing was is terrible shape with rotting rubbers. Really sad!

Damn thing reeked so badly of cigarettes I thought it was gonna ask me for a pack of Newport’s.

You have to make to obvious for the lowest common denominator and most of them will still miss it.

Trust me on this.

I only noticed because I brought two pins, one for sale and the other not. One card was green, the other white.

Okay, so I wasn't the only one. Was interested in a game but had zero clue about the green/white thing. Almost broke my neck trying to scan the QR, then had to scroll down to the pin # from a drop down, then it says "For Sale" with no "Yes or No" (waste of time and energy)...A minute later I figured out "Green" meant a game was for sale, but I couldn't read the prices without mounting the cab.

I wasn't going to say anything ...kind of don't want to be a pain in the ass but I think the card is too large. Whether you put it on the pf glass or back glass, it covers something that the player should see (on most games) I certainly don't want it under the pf glass. My .02

You're entitled to an opinion. Though I'm not sure I see how putting it in place of the price card in the apron covers something they are supposed to see since it's on free play, but I do see your general point. There will be exceptions to prove the rule in some of the odd or old games.

What would you suggest be done that supports the requirements since you don't want it under the glass or that large? The show staff has to do something, and it needs to support the functions that the show needs. So something has to give.

What about a large whiteboard with a list of everything for sale along with price drops and phone numbers? Some people don't want to bother with QR Codes and websites. A low tech solution may be best here.

I think making the FOR SALE and PRICE big and bold on the cards will work best.

I had my card on the game like this.

20211119_121754-1-1 (resized).jpg

Yes, and games that are not FS should also state it in large print. The color difference means zip if many don't know.

OK we will be revamping the game cards with everyone's suggestions thank you.

If someone was playing a game & I wanted to see the price on the card, I would just zoom in with my camera phone. That happens more & more in life as I get older

I'd keep the color coding and simply add the print. It will become obvious once you look at a few and then it's a great visual indicator. Thanks for listening!

Is this big enough?

download (resized).jpeg

I was the Robo-War guy...

It was a last minute bring, as travel plans/airport runs for Thanksgiving ALMOST got in the way, but I was able to make other arrangements; I admittedly had to leave the show for a few hours a couple times during the weekend to ferry people from BDL to my home in central CT who were arriving for the holiday, then back to Sturbridge...

That said, it was the first time I've ever had it out to a show, and I THOUGHT I had all the bugs worked out of it from nearly a year of heavy play testing and fixing it at home and parties, and it played flawlessly Thursday/Friday. I made sure to check the game every hour as to load credits (you can only load 20 at a time being an 80b), and I forgot to throw a diode jumper on to add credits at will (If I bring it to the next one, which I probably will, I'll print out a sign that says "Press HERE to ADD CREDITS", as it's not intuitive to those not familiar with the game/system.

I experienced the old gottlieb ground issue sometime on Saturday (as I acquired the game from a guy who previously had it for 28 years and it's still bone stock without the ground mods done, but has otherwise been flawless without the harnesses being all cut and bundled for reliability), and a tech found me in the tournament area to notify me. I ran over and traced it to a flaky trough switch, which caused the game to lose track of balls (As reproduced and correctly fixed at home). I was able to get it jerry-rigged and back up and running pretty quickly, and I found that a simple power cycle after adjusting the switch would unlock the game, but then it would obviously be out of credits if I wasn't standing there to add more. I appreciate the tech staff for notifying me when this occurred. I believe the quick fix had it running for the remainder of it's time on the show floor, when it had credits.

Since getting it home and re-setup and fixing the trough issue correctly, I have not since experienced the issue, after having a hundred or so games played on it by guests that were in for the holiday.

I watched the TNT stream later, and of course when Todd came by RW, it was out of credits on the stream (DOH!). Anybody that wanted to play it when it was out of credits, I sincerely apologize; I really did make the effort to check it hourly when I was on the premises, even late or early in the day, and left my personal key with others who checked it when I had to leave. I guess you could say I underestimated how popular this seemingly indiscrete old Gottlieb/Premier would be! This will be a non-issue in the future, I promise. (As many know, I'm a man of my word...)

All in all, I'm glad I brought it; being on the rarer side, I figured it was a quirky game that many people have never seen or played before, and those that did, told me how much they really enjoyed it, and even made a few offers to buy it, haha (Even though it wasn't for sale). I was even able to grab, what may be one of the last NOS translights for it, from Mayfair to replace my faded original.

Chances are, that it'll be back, and ready for 72 more straight hours of play.

Thank you for bringing an unusual game. Many of us have experienced the old "but it was working fine when I left home" bugaboo when we bring games to shows; you're certainly not alone. Thank you also for doing your best to keep the game running.

"it would obviously be out of credits if I wasn't standing there to add more"

I'm the lead of the Pintastic repair team. This is one reason why we ask owners to entrust us with the key to their games; so we can address simple issues, such as no credits or a stuck ball, without having to involve the owner. WE DO NOT UNDERTAKE ANY OTHER REPAIRS WITHOUT THE EXPLICIT PERMISSION OF THE GAME OWNER. We are also frequently able to diagnose issues (e.g., broken flipper link) so when we *do* have to contact the owner we can tell them what's wrong AND give them the option to allow us to fix that issue. This policy means that at Pintastic we are more likely to have more operational games on the floor, leading to a better attendee experience.

Between Brian McCauley (my right-hand AND left-hand man) and myself we have 75+ YEARS of experience in repairing coin-op equipment; believe me, we're NOT going to screw up your game if we open the coin door to add credits. Our assistants may not always have the same level of expertise, but they DO know not to delve into any repairs without passing it up the chain and getting owner approval. We work really hard to earn and keep the trust of the game bringers.

Tony Dziedzic

Oh no, I WOULD absolutely trust you folks under the hood and to not "screw up a game" and definitely not worry about having someone adding credits, not an issue at all...

I did leave an extra key at the desk for stuckies, etc. with Nancy; but I think the basic issue here was that nobody ever simply told any of the staff when the game was out of credits, haha. You guys can't attend to a game if nobody tells you about it. Again, it was my fault, and it won't be an issue in the future.

Thank you for bringing it! Watching strangers enjoy your personal game is a feeling like no other.

Haha, don’t sweat it! If I’m in the area, expect a PM! You owe me some RW games! It’s probably one of my favorites sys80s. Just a fantastic game with some of the most incredible sound design of the 80s. I wish Gottlieb gave the sound guy credit.
You selling the old RW translite?

I was very close to bringing Target Alpha and was musing on bringing Caveman. I love Caveman, and it’s now a rare game since people hated it so much they all ended up in the trash heap! At my show it was a blast! If it wasn’t so obscenely heavy, I’d cart it to every show on the east coast. Caveman is truly a blast and unlike any other games out there!

I had one guy play mine for two hours straight. Thanked me up and down for bringing it. He said it was a favorite of his as a kid…

As a previous System 80B owner, I wrestled with the credit issue on my Monte Carlo a couple years back. I came up with a simple and elegant solution to modernizing the game and any similar systems for "free" play. I replaced the switch behind the START button with a dual switch commonly used as a flipper switch from a 3 flipper game. This provides 2 independent switches with one button-press. One pair of contacts connect to the original start wires, the second pair of contacts connect to the coin switch. With this configuration, every time a person presses the start button, a credit is added.