Just dump the serial eeprom which probably in the topper.

I've been thinking about this more, and setting the $600 price tag and the personal attacks aside, here's what puzzles me about this.

Suppose that you've never seen this machine before, and you walk up to it at a location. You notice the topper, and you notice that JURASSI is lit up and that C PARK is not. What does this communicate to you?

It doesn't communicate "There's a progressive feature". Most likely it doesn't communicate anything. If it does communicate anything, it's probably "Hmm, looks like the topper is broken."

The only way the game has to communicate "This is a special thing that leads to a special reward that you should be trying for" is the relatively-old-fashioned way, on the display. Likewise, the only way it can communicate "Here's how you add letters during play" is on the display

A number of folks in the thread have pointed out that they could just as well put the letters themselves on the display. If anything, I'd say that putting the progressive mode counter on the topper is at least slightly worse than putting it on the display, because it's requiring you to look in two different places to understand the information, and it's putting half the information in a place that's awkward to look at during play.

If you look back at how progressive features are shown over the years, they tend to fall into three categories:

• Purely on the score display.
• On the backglass or the back wall of the playfield, very near the score display -- RANSOM in BK2K, DOUBLE in Surf'n'Safari, etc.
• On the playfield or the apron near the flippers.

Notice that these are all places that the player is likely to look anyway.

There are also a lot of machines that show progressive jackpots on the backglass, often pretty far from the score display. But a progressive jackpot display is a lot easier to understand in isolation -- when you see "JACKPOT" and a thermometer-type column of lights from "1/2 MILLION" to "4 MILLION", and some of those lights are lit, it's pretty clear what it's telling you. And you probably don't have to pay attention to how it's changing during the game, so it doesn't matter that it's in a place where you don't normally look.

I'm really curious about how this will be implemented and how well this will work on location.

It's your money. If you like paying extra to get bent over go right ahead.

Full stop. Not possible.

Gift that keeps giving...
FFF2FB63-C6D7-42BB-BFCE-4C44DED76465 (resized).jpeg

I'm fishing for a scenario where this makes sense. It doesn't make sense in a home scenario, because progressive features are more annoying than interesting if you're the only one playing the game. Progressive features are normally there to attract players on location, like progressive jackpots on a slot machine.

Also, to me, the Spartan design of the topper seems more suited for locations, where you don't want something that can be easily damaged. For the home it seems like you'd want something more elaborate.

So setting the price tag aside, what's the scenario where this makes sense?

Nothing from stern. I’m guessing it’s already in the code but not sure. Probably just need to have the game think you have the topper

I think progressive modes would be awesome on any pin. I really wish pins had achievements, like video games. It adds so much more to the entertainment value for so little cost to the developer. I pretty much accept that I will rarely if ever see the wizard modes on pins with one play. If they have some that I get unlimited plays to get too that would be awesome.

It so easy to add little collectibles to a pin, it would be worth just for the madness it would create here when people try and discover the secret ones.

Do Stern toppers actually contain code at all? I'd have thought that the code would be part of the normal game software, and the topper would effectively act as a dongle enabling the feature.

You have an alarming lack of system 11 pins.

I don't really mean progressive jackpots more like achievements or hidden modes. Things that can track via a profile. I don't know what this mode will be for JP but I hope it's something big that takes a tonne of games to unlock. It would be super fun and I can totally imagine people at home with like only the K left to go not letting anyone play and stealing the mode, LOL. Can you imagine collecting those letters for months and your buddy comes over and steals the pay off. To me that would be amazing. Be like him taking $600 right out of your pocket.

Would be even better if how you collect letters are secret, and pinside goes crazy as people figure out the next letter.

He's not. He admits to being a drunk who blacks out and buys stupid shit, then gets a thrill when he has a receipt so he can recall the night. So no, hes not pissed lol

Sorry but I have no problem with this. You are buying an expensive topper and should get something a little extra value added for your money. You pay for extra features on Premiums and LEs. There is software that comes with those too. Is that DLC too? Give me a break.

Was there this type of ruckus when Tron LE came out and had a multi ball the pro didn’t?

No there wasn’t. But then that was 8 or 9 years ago and the hobby was a very different place.

Nope, because that software difference is listed in the feature matrix released with the announcement of the pin. There's no "surprise" months later which requires you to shell out extra cash for it, even though I'm sure Stern knew the surprise was coming at the announcement of a new pin. Holding back the info on the Stranger Things UV lighting kit "surprise", the JP Topper extra mode DLC "surprise", and whatever Jack Danger alluded to as the TMNT "surprise" that is coming down the pipe is shady. Tell us up front Stern.

So, there was something that made an LE, an LE back in the day. Apples and oranges.

Haha wow. So many crybabies. How dare they put out an expensive topper for an expensive toy and give something a little innovative as an extra feature with it as an incentive and reward? Good thing they didn't try that with other overpriced toppers to make them worthwhile. Shudder the thought. Not to mention that JP Pro, Premium and LE are and always will be one of the best games ever. It's not like suddenly they all suck. You want the topper and extra features; then buy it. Otherwise STFU and play this classic game (and stop asking for innovation while you are at it).

I only hope that a special mode or feature comes out for my Black Knight topper by the time I get it. Either way there is already special software to drive it and all of its features. I guess that is DLC too LOL.

Maybe we are looking at this the wrong way.... Maybe Stern really isn’t interested in building toppers. They require extra resources to design, build, and support. But today, the market demands that a topper be released by the mfg. So, Stern makes a simplistic topper, adds DLC to the mix, charges over twice as much as what you can purchase on the after-market and watches what the community does. If the community revolts and doesn’t buy any toppers then Stern can say they were no longer going to produce toppers as they are not core to their business model. If they sell like hotcakes then they continue to produce toppers and charge whatever the market willl allow.

Classic supply and demand just like the LE versions. Unfortunately nobody that owns a JP had a clue that there was a factory code upgrade that would cost more money. That’s the rub... owners that paid 9k may not have features a pro has.

No. But they almost have to have some universal serial number in this topper because even Stern isn't stoopid enough to have a "wire"/"jumper detect" feature that can easily be reverse engineered, right?
They probably have a "node board" up in this topper that can be detected by the CPU to enable the "DLC".

Just guessing/spitballing... I have no dog in the race as I've stopped buying Sterns because of the anti-lube they've been providing to their customers since Star Trek. Star Trek was my first and probably only Stern product. Been tempted by Metallica, Stranger Danger, and Star Wars... but I've convinced myself the risk just wasn't worth the short term enjoyment.

No skin in the game but perspective is everything. Let's say you have a LOTR and Stern says, for $600 dollars you get a topper, extra mode that includes graphics, sounds and light show. Who would jump on it? To be honest I probably would. That is one mark I think is being missed. Purchase additional modes. It's proven itself over and over by video pinball. New tables are sold as add-ons. Of course then there comes the cost of obtaining IP rights "again" and is it cost effective do to so which I don't have the answer too.

What’s next? Monthly multi-ball subscription fees?

I think Kaneda's latest podcast summed it all up. That's was some funny shit and a whole lot of F'bombs

Has anyone done a Hitler video for this yet?
This whole mess is crying out for one.

Unboxed and demo'd
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/the-pinball-network-/page/23#post-5684530

Barely demoed...Can’t really tell about the mode.

Pinball innovation is off the charts at the moment.....surprise aftermarket UV kits, mono targets, and now Pay Per Mode Toppers. They heard Pinside demanding innovation and they delivered.

Let’s be honest here. Shameless cash grab directed at the only clientele that’ll buy it - the collector, of course! I think we’d be hard pressed to find an operator that would be willing to shell out 600 for a game on route.

Woah, It’s sold out?
I guess Stern knew exactly what they were doing.

Who wants to place a bet they’ll be coming out with a 1500.00 “LE” topper?

Seriously doubt it's sold out.

Apart from the obvious cash grab and the fact this is the latest in a long list of "F*ck U" messages to Stern customers, I personally can't stand carry over modes. Too random. Its up there with midnight madness modes for me.

I'm pretty sure the "progressive carryover" will be an option in the service menu. There are enough tournament players and pinball people at Stern to know that folks would want the option to switch off the carryover.

Yeah. Carry over modes are just a novelty. They've been in dozens (hundreds?) of games and it's hard to think a great game that has one. Except for Rollergames and EBD I think, and neither are great because of the carry over mode.

It's something that made a lot more sense in the nickel and dime days when pinball was still more associated with gambling.

A Carry Over mode is a nice value add to help convince people that this pop up book is worth $600. I wouldn't lose any sleep over not having the mode on your game. There's very little pressure or reason for someone to cough up $600 for a carry over mode novelty.

I think Stern missed a huge opportunity to really truly piss off everyone.

Gary: ”Let’s bundle the topper in with a masterpiece mini wizard mode coded by Lyman and Elwin, achievable after capturing 4 Dinosaurs, with never before seen Jurassic Park footage and original actor call outs. That will totally f*ck over everyone who paid $9k for this box of lights”.
Marketing: “no, that will piss then off too much....let’s just make it a goat multiball carry over mode and no one will give a shit.”

The fact that they are basically hiding the mode doesn’t bode well. Sadly it looks just as half assed and sad as the topper.

Who's going to vote for JP Topper for this years twippy?

What are the betting odds it wins the award. I'll go with 500 to 1

My 2-bits. I've noticed lots of leisure businesses exploring a market-stratification model. Pretty much you figure out how to soak the richer customers without pricing the rest of customer base out of the market. Typically figure out a way to add an aura of exclusivity and reap much better margins for little effort.

There is an upside for consumers, it uses the wealthier customers to subsidize products and R&D for the rest of the consumer base.

There are downfalls to this especially when you produce something exclusive that's actually cool. I remember a manufacturer I sold stuff for saying somewhere on social media "If you are complaining about product X being too expensive, it wasn't made for you." It sums up the model quite well, but it is terrible PR to admit to it.

Stern has done this to an extent with the three tier pricing. It appears that they are doing it with toppers now as well. I don't own a Jurassic Park (Pro), but if I did I'm pretty sure I'd look at this and go "!@#$ that". I hear nothing in the description of this "added" mode that actually makes me feel like I'm missing out on anything. Then again, it wasn't made for me.

Personally this doesn't bother me much. I look at stuff, figure out if I derive enough value to buy it, then either buy it or pass.

Then again, I am also slightly crazy and on my one modern machine I waited until the code was mature before I bought it. If Stern produced a "DLC" topper for the game I would still have gotten the game I bought; the fact that I could pay some exorbitant sum for a minor carry-over feature would not diminish my enjoyment of said game. I wouldn't have bought it in the first place if it needed an extra $600 piece of plastic to be fun.

Breaking News: I heard a rumor that the DOLLAR STORE got a batch of Stern JP toppers in... so I flew over there with my $600 dollars and wouldn't you know it they had them.

Check it out on top of my JP pinball.

Here is the good news, I saved $599.00 look at all that cash left over!

This is 110% the topper of the year!

IMG_0575 (resized).jpg

Throwing shade and can't even figure out how to rotate a picture.

With Zach unboxing, it shows the topper is not worth $600. If Stern would of charged $400, people probably would of been ok with it, even though the topper is meh. But Stern greed always pushes for more.

Laces out Stern.

From watching the video - it looks like it was a mode called 'Goat Mania' - seemed like it was probably NOT a multiball (did not hear enough ball noise) and similar to other secret modes like 'Barnyard Madness' on MM or 'Secret Laugh Mode' on The Shadow.

I will never buy this topper. What a joke... and waste of money for that piece of junk.

Not mine, but here is the unboxing video with a video of the actual game play feature added.

-Spoiler Alert-

GOAT MANIA!

I'd totally be in! For about $200...

The topper does look nice in action but its still way overpriced.

Not having any kind of motion in the topper is a huge letdown for $600...

Also dont tie in code to an add on. It has pissed people off and rightfully so.

Yayyyyyyy Goat Mania! I’m super thrilled. Can’t wait to get my topper and hook it up!

Too expensive, but after seeing the original pics and then seeing the video with it lit up, I do have to admit it looks pretty great lit up.

I agree, it looks a lot better lit up. Still not worth $600.

I think personally that's a bit unfair - both of the 3rd party toppers (Laseriffic and Tilt Topper) are over $200, and this topper is clearly much better looking with much better lights. I'm thinking it should have been $399.99. Still high, but I don't think it goes into the crazy-sphere like $600.

Okay now you’ve seen the mode. Still upset? I wouldn’t be. That mode is terrible.