(Topic ID: 186647)

THE Reason why (I think) Ghostbusters sucks....

By xyntec

6 years ago


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“Anyone agrees?”

  • Yes 103 votes
    35%
  • No 137 votes
    46%
  • Waiting for a code update 30 votes
    10%
  • No Opinion 26 votes
    9%

(296 votes)

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#1 6 years ago

The game looks amazing, has lots of toys, I love the shots (although some are pretty difficult), the callouts, the music, the light show etc etc, so why does it suck?
Well…basically software. And a lot of people might not agree, and I am talking only about the Premium/LE version, because the Pro version plays a lot different in many ways.

First of all I’m not a big fan of linear modes, it gets pretty annoying sometimes to do the same mode over and over just to get progress, and I know I probably should get better, but since my accuracy of shots isn’t the greatest, I have (plenty of) games where I did not even finish 1 mode, yeah I know, I’m probably terrible at pinball….

The skill shot in my opinion is way too important, if you don’t make it, you have to make a lot of shots just to be able to start any mode at all, and since the ball a lot of times just doesn’t make it around (it either hits puff, slams into the backboard, or rattles around and ends up in the pop bumpers, so the best opportunity is too make a soft plunge and hope that the ball does not just goes STDM.

But what annoys me most is all the modes that run together, and again, on the Pro this is somewhat less annoying or sometimes even good, but eg when you start SFMB, almost always ‘loopin supers’ start, and thus this mode is pretty much lost, because shooting the ramp is almost impossible during SFMB, either scolari or slimmer is blocking the ramp (or both) and on top of that, every time the ball enters the inlane, the flashers in front of the slings start to blind you.
The other way around it is pretty much the same, you start loopin supers and most of the time SFMB is lit, so you can just make one shot and that’s it. It’s better just to drain all but 1 ball and forget about SFMB so you can get on with loopin supers….

Of course you can hit the captive ball a couple of times to make sure you start SFMB before you reach 60 ghosts, but with the dangerous outlanes or for that matter inlanes hopping over to the outlanes, and the dangerous magnet slings sometimes activating, sometimes not, or just throwing the ball STDM or in the outlanes, I prefer to make safer shots….are there any?? Missing the ramp or orbits most of the time results in hitting a target and thus STDM or outlane or just flying somewhere else and drain, the right ramp even with a perfect shot 90% of the times the ball just makes it to the top (where the rivets are) and then just rolls back and of course STDM and so on.

When you do reach any of the ladders and you get to WCWS, most of the times also MHMB starts and thus just fucks up your WCWS. I really like the idea of having the flippers reversed, but why not just keep it like that during the whole mode?? It’s really funny when you play with your friends and you have to flip your hands during this multiball, but when it’s just changing all the time, everyone is just flipping both hands all the time like a small child and waiting for the mode to be over. It could have been an exciting mode….

So basically if I could make one request, DO NOT STACK THESE MODES!! Just block MHMB and WCWS from running together and also SFMB and LS. And to not step on anyone’s toes, make it an option in the settings so one can choose. (of course a regular mode is always nice to have running when in a MB)

Now it’s just a frustrating game, and even though I like tough games a lot, eg Iron Man or Bram Stokers Dracula also punish you when you miss a shot, but strange enough these games are so addictive that you just keep on trying, the Ghostbusters I just switch off after a couple of games and don’t play it any more for days.
If I invite friends who don’t play pinball at all, first thing they do is walk directly up to the Ghostbusters to start playing, but after a couple of games they already abandon it for getting no progress at all and such short ball time, and in the end they playing all pins except the ghostbusters, which is actually pretty sad for such a beautiful and potential pinball machine….

Just my opinion….

#12 6 years ago
Quoted from spidey:

You need to replace the 2" hex standoff on the right ramp with a 1 5/8" part. I hit 5 in a row yesterday, what a rush.
I agree that the opening skill shot is annoying. All modes should be lit at the start of game. MH is tough, I think Slimer should sweep all the way left and right and not just hover in front of the ramp. I like the challenge of LS with arms crossed but Slimer is too much in the way.
I also frequently get stuck trying to finish Ballroom. It doesn't completely save progression. In the last phase you have to hit the left orbit and the right ramp in the allotted time. If you drain, it will keep the mode active (as per the adjustments option) but resets the shots and does not reset the mode tiner. So new ball, and you've got 7 seconds to hit *both* shots. Drives me crazy and my game typically ends here unless I bail and pick a different ladder.
All that said the game is a blast and it just needs some tweeks to remove some of the annoying aspects of it. I wouldn't say it sucks though, it's mostly super fun, but only with some hardware changes to "fix" it. Some relatively easy software changes can make a big difference so hopefully we'll get a final code polish.

Does it need modification anywhere mounting the shorter standoff? I would think the ramp can't go any lower because of the steel guide below it? Does sound like a good solution though, thanks

#16 6 years ago
Quoted from pinchamp:

I was a loyal follower of GB from well before it was announced. It was my dream theme machine. Lol
I ordered the LE as soon as it was announced. I agree the game looks amazing. My playfield, no issues. Colours great, toys well integrated and plentiful. Cabinet and green rails beautiful along with the translite art.
However as many have said about many other games, you don't play the art. After 7 months or so I just have not been able to love the game. Most of the ops comments I agree with. You can have a regular multiball along with WCWS and when MHMB starts it ruins the whole party. Just really poorly done. It was said months ago that the code is finished. I believe this to be true and aside from a few bug fixes Stern will let this one ride on the theme alone without further code development.
I completed all mode ladders as well as WRTBY. It is lackluster still. The modes just go through the same linear action again and the final "wizard mode" is nothing special at all.
The code has ruined this game and even if they do add some things (which they could) it won't change the boring progress of starting one mode at a time and playing mainly those same first few modes again and again and again. Even getting through all those modes, at the end there is no reward for finishing them.
Sold my GBLE for $1000+ less than what I had into it. Could have sold it for more but really felt the next owner is getting ripped off for the money to spend on such a narrow and poorly done code. Stern should be ashamed on this one. i am sure others can still love it but I am one who wanted it so bad and wanted to love it and keep it forever but it just hurt too much to hear "ok who brought the dog" again... bye bye GBLE

Wow, sad to hear that, I was actually thinking of selling it too, but started to think to maybe reprogramming it myself, codewise I don't see too many problems, but to program the display is what keeps me doubting....

#17 6 years ago
Quoted from hawkmoon:

Wow.kinda sorry to hear all this negativity!! I know these are issues with some! Others see the pin quite differently! I,for one,think that reversing the flippers is annoying!I think the shots,for my level of play,keeps me playing!If your all that good,set the mode of play off "easy"and try Mhard!I hear some of the same from B66 owners(Vireland)about ho-hum play!Maybe, because its so easy for you , move on to Golf,or,anyone for Racquetball??

?? who said the game was easy???? It's annoyingly hard and on top of that it drains way too easy!

#19 6 years ago
Quoted from Hazoff:

I think like so many pins or really to me all of them after a few months it gets repetitive and boring as it should, nothing wrong with modes if you don't plan on keeping it for too long, in the 90's even on site after a month or so I would be wishing for new pins to play, I'm done thinking of any pinball machine as a keeper so GB's is damn fun but if you have had the game for months and play it everyday then that's enough, if it lasts a week because you hate it then thats fine too, its a game. I'm enjoying pinball alot more since I dropped the collector aspect.

I've had many pins, and I agree that at a certain point you get bored with them, but some pins do have that attraction of wanting to play them over and over again, like said, Iron Man has far from deep rules, but I can play it all weekend long, Medieval Madness up to a certain point also, and even Theatre of Magic I like a lot, and just bought Dracula with intension of just getting to know it a bit better and sell it again, but it might be a keeper after all, it's so addictive and when you get the multiballs running together it's satisfactory hearing the 20 or 30 million shoutouts

Software can change so much, I traded my X-Men LE for a Stern Star Trek and I hated it, I was ready to sell it and then new software came out, now it's really a great pin to play, I think the Ghostbusters could be so much more with a couple of software changes, but like mentioned in another post, probably not going to happen unfortunately. And I'm not a collector, I just like to have a few good games, and a game that I can change now and then to have something new. If I don't like it I'll sell it as easy as I bought it, even if that means loosing money, I rather buy a game I like playing...

#55 6 years ago
Quoted from spidey:

No modification. You can do 1 5/8" and that's about as low as it can go. At that point the terminals for the ramp switch are just about touching plastic.

Just ordered one! Very curious, hope it will improve the right ramp shot, sometimes when a mode requires this shot I just spend all remaining balls just trying to nail it and end up with nothing....and there goes the off switch.....

#56 6 years ago
Quoted from cooked71:

Be nice to get some more use of the Ecto Goggles.
And Loopin Supers needs to be held over until multiball is finished. Its a really fun mode, such a shame it gets lost so often in SFMB.

TOTALLY AGREE!

#58 6 years ago
Quoted from Rob_G:

It's not the linearity of the scenes, but the first scenes are just too simple. There's no incentive to play them other than just to get to the next scene. The awarded points are always the same and how well (or poorly) you do has no effect on anything else. That's the big thing wrong with the scenes IMHO. Later scenes have more scoring opportunities and score higher which makes them more fun, but they still have no purpose other than just getting to WCWS which is a very shallow mini wizard mode.

If you can't qualify the scenes, you need to play better. Scene qualification has been dumbed down since the first code release so only 1 hit of the ghost target brings slimer out. Hit him 2 or 3 times and the scenes are lit. That's not a lot of shots. The real problem I think with the skill shots is that a few are not worth going for - ever. Mainly, the 'add 3 million to super jackpot' is the worst one. I think the skill shots should time out on the lower playfield too.

I completely agree. There are reasons this happens which I have discussed with Dwight. I hope it gets eventually tweaked.

I don't mind the stacking, but the lack of purpose to these different modes is what disappoints me. So the flippers reverse in MHMB, is that it? So each shot scores several million points in WCWS, what else is there? Stacking modes together is what makes them somewhat fun right now.
Rob

Biggest problem for me is probably that I'm an "on the fly" player, I don't like to catch aim and so on, for me the most fun is continuous motion, but this is exactly the problem with GB, if you miss a shot, you're 98% sure the ball will fly somewhere and drain....
And like said the right ramp on the LE is hard to make (at least on mine, hope the lower standoff is going to change this), so some modes I just can't seem to pass and therefor just loose my the rest of the balls trying.
I have the Ghost targets on hard, because I don't like to just hit it once and have slimer come down, it has 5 letters, so I like to hit it 5 times, BUT on GB of course this might not be the smart choice, cause 9 out of 10 shots result in a drain....
That's why I normally always go for the skillshot to start a mode, soft plunge, catch on the right flipper, and backhand the right orbit.

1 week later
#69 6 years ago

Finally got that shorter hex post, it fits a bit weird but it works! Of course the shot ain't getting any easier to hit, but when I do, it makes it around instead of just rolling back all the time, so that's an improvement!

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