Total Nuclear Annihilation
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This is currently the only title on my buy list -- I'm excited to see the final original artwork. Congrats to Scott and Spooky on collaborating on this project. I hope they ignore the noise and make something that's original and true to their own design desires.
Quoted from FatPanda:
I watched the Deadflip Stream, part 1 again and I'm STILL stoked that Spooky is working out the logistics to put this into production. I still regret not playing it more at MGC this year. I would love to have this pin in my basement. I still don't get the comments about "I envisioned this artwork, or that artwork, or this layout, or these rules." If you envisioned something that you didn't expect this pin to be, go build your own pin! If you open up your expectations a bit, you will not be disappointed. If you get a chance to play this game, you most certainly will not be disappointed!
For the record, I really enjoy the art. It's an original theme to boot, just like how pinball was back in the hayday. This only thing I'm disappointed with is the wait time to play this again!
Welcome to Pinside... where the Pinside Babies kick and scream when things don't meet their ridiculously narrow standards.
Agree with you 100%.
Quoted from codered9394:
I'm thinking somewhere between $6000 and $7000. I'm sure they will try to make as much as they can. I wouldn't blame them either for trying.
You could very well be right
Quoted from BorgDog:
Looks like elevation contours to me. The future is evidently an island.
That's what I meant! 
Quoted from johnnyutah:
More detailed pics from:
http://www.scottdanesi.com/?p=890
Game looks badass. Love the subtle details on the inserts!
Quoted from RandomGuyOffCL:
Couple questions come to mind when I look at this pin...
1. Say instead of Scott/Spooky, it was Gomez/Stern that designed/produced this same exact pin...Would it be as well received?
2. This is the pin to compare to Star Wars considering after shipping it will be $1000 more than a pro & only $900 cheaper than prem.
Is it a better deal than either of those?
1) Who knows... Stern has made some real gems. But for every great title, they have 3 or 4 cookie cutter re-hash designs. I think that would make folks look at this game with a different eye.
2 All depends on what kind of gameplay you enjoy.
Quoted from rai:
thanks that's not high resolution, when I zoom pin I can't read the PF inserts.
Anyway, I'm surprised all tis time no one could post any nice pictures.
Seem pretty good... what exactly are you looking to see?
Quoted from TheNoTrashCougar:
Thank you! I am using a custom built RGB bulb for production. The light pipes I used on the whitewood were not bright enough. These bulbs stick directly through the playfield and look like traditional pinball bulbs, but are not. These are pretty damn bright. They are also modular, so if one ever burns out, you just remove the connector, remove 1 screw, and replace. Easy.
--Scott
Scott makes it impossible to say "no"! 
Quoted from lpeters82:
It's not bad. To me it feels like a very generic pinball machine. There is no wow factor, but it would probably be a good choice for a family machine.
They layout is super similar to BSD, no?
Quoted from Aurich:
Play it first. I know it's a weird and wacky concept on this here Pinside website thingy, but trying a game to see if you like it before spending thousands of dollars is actually a pretty neat idea!
If you list your location people near you might even invite you over to play their's, you never know.
Just curious: is that the same advice you gave to every single Alien pre-order?
The sarcasm of your remark is fairly evident... but the vast majority of people on Pinside aren't idiots. There's a handful of controversial hyper posters that behave like idiots - you know, the ones that grandstand and like to try and shout louder than others - but the majority of the rest of us aren't stupid.
TNA is in the same cabinet as the Jetsons with the exception of the playfield glass angle. It is much less steep and almost level with the playfield on TNA. This, in turn, drops the overall height of the backbox down about 4-5 inches if I remember correctly. TNA is actually the same height as an 80's Bally. It looks great in a lineup in my opinion with older and newer games. Hope that helps.
--Scott
Scott...does the addition of the beacon make the entire machine just about as tall as a standard 90s B/W game?
Quoted from Cheeks:
I saw BNL this summer in concert and they spent a few minutes riffing about pinball and busting out quotes from Scared Stiff. I felt like my wife and I were the only ones in the audience that got the jokes.
Hate to break it to you, but those feelings didn't lie. You probably were the only ones that got the jokes
There is also going to be a ramp up period so this may not an exact calculation. As they roll out there will be more solid estimates of when people will be getting games.
--Scott
You're saying 25 a week? 
I was referring to TNA half a year ago when it was revealed, it did not have Spooky making it which is what you are referring to and I spelled that out fully.
Using the word "revealed" is probably a stretch. If you listen to his description of the story, the guy just wanted to build a fun pin for himself and his buddies to knock around during head-to-head matchups. Short balls times. He took it to a few shows to share it...but it was never "revealed" in the sense that he intended to have it go into full production.
That's one of the cool beauties of this game. It's born of imagination and fun. The love that it garnered at a few shows helped push its production to reality. Far from being shown as a game that was designed to be manufactured.
It's a super awesome story, and too bad it didn't match up with the Spooky Documentary timelines. Would have been awesome to see Scott's story retold.
I agree 100%.
Can I get any new reviews from people who have played it recently, did it live up to expectations is it better or worse than you imagined?
Closest (comparison) to me was Predator.
What I mean Predator was a new game, new designer, exciting gameplay video, lots of buz, decent bad price, home brew or boutique pin.
Predator was different than TNA because it was licensed (falsely claimed), had no previous building experience behind it (like Spooky) there was a lot of question marks around Predator and it stalled in the pre production stage. So I don't want to relate too much with the comparison to TNA. But my point is, I never played Predator, but it was played at various shows and I believe that was where is fell down even before the production, pre-pay fiasco. I read many reviews saying it was just meh.
I just want back to refresh my memory of Predator (before the fiasco) and the game reviews were mixed to poor. At the shows people said it was constantly breaking down, ball stuck, long ball times, some said just not fun to play. And people seemed to be buying it for the theme more than anything else.
For me once IMVE was released at the same price it didn't even make sense to buy a Predator because I was not in love with the Predator theme, and I figured IMVE same price, proven production, proven rules was a much safer buy.
Opposite that TNA looks rock solid although I have not watched all the video streams, I saw one ball stuck way back on the first video (when the game didn't know a ball was locked). Everyone seems to love the gameplay, I have never heard anyone say meh about TNA. It's 100% more put together than Predator, much better art and build quality and is shipping now so no questions there.
I just like to hear more reviews of people who have played it.
Rai - I thought you put money down to buy the game? I'm confused.
I did put money down just trying to hear more from people who have played it especially people who have played it for the first time as it's now in production rather than as a prototype many months ago.
I was interested in more reviews, everyone seems to love it.
I really think the production game is very nicely presented and doesn't look homebrew at all, looks very polished and stable.
I don't mean to say home brew in a bad sense more that it started out that way but quickly became very professional looking.
Just watch the most recent Dead Flip. The game is super straight forward... I think you'll get an instant feel for it. Simple rules, brutally fast.
Quoted from jonesjb:
Yes that’s what I’m trying to say, but your explanation makes sense if there is a cap that’s meant to be larger than the cylinder.
I think the best explanation is that its a pinball machine... it's not meant to be scale art. If it were a cap, where are the caps on the rods that are pulled down into the reactor core? Nothing is scale in the world of pinball... giant Rudy head, BSD coffin radically larger than then molded buildings/castle. The list is endlessly endless.
I think you're over thinking it.
Hey Scott - looking forward to seeing if I can get non-pinhead friends to jump in on money games once I get the machine. Curious: have you considered making a two team mode where the scores for players 1&3 are added together (same for players 2&4)... perhaps on an end screen... which would make for fast and easy team games?
I’m trying to think of ways of getting my buddies psyched about playing, paying attention, and not being shy about head to head type games.
Here's why I don't like it: Randomness from software isn't interesting. Let the ball do what the ball is gonna do, that's pinball. You just play it the best you can, you use your skills the best you can, and if physics beats you, so be it. A drain because a sling randomly went off at half strength sounds incredibly lame. What's satisfying about that?
I completely disagree... randomness can be intoxicatingly fun when ocassionally introduced. I like the idea.
Quoted from AUKraut:
Bunch of games with randomness...i.e. magnets to mess with you (TAF, IM, GOTG, SM, etc.)
Exactly. Ever hear of Dialed In? I’m sure JJP was out of their mind designing the spinning discs in Pirates.... Lawlor with Whirlwind? A fool! The Guardians? Stupid! TWD magnets. Straight silly
Quoted from toyotaboy:
This.. Yes, technically any digital format has loss over analog because you've gone from curves to peaks of on/off. But as far as digital goes, FLAC does not add any noise when it compresses. If you were to compare it to a photo.. Putting a TIF file in a zip file would be FLAC, JPEG would be mp3.
Bingo. Winner winner!
Quoted from jgentry:
They will hire more help, keep building games, keep adding to the facility, and try to be as honest as possible about delivery times like they always have been.
It would be awesome if that happens but in reality TNA is a different style game that won't be for everyone. Thankfully there are a few hundred of us that have been waiting years for someone to make something like this. I think 600-800 or so is very possible, especially if they keep the orders open for a couple of years and build them in batches in between their other production games once the initial orders are completed.
IMO, the casual player is much better served by the kind of experience TNA offers... I think most "modern" pinball machines are barking up the wrong tree.
Quoted from Mr68:
My guess is that someone, Stern or JJP will have an, "Oh shit" moment and reach out to buy Spooky and install Charlie as a VP.
I hope Stern doesn't enter the equation with Spooky... they'd ruin it.
Quoted from jar155:
I'm always a bit surprised when I hear about how much casual players enjoy TNA. It's not that they wouldn't or shouldn't like it, but that they are often favoring it over the more "casual friendly" licensed games. I think that it shows that a license will always bring in a passerby's coin drop, but simple fun will keep someone in place.
What is a "casual friendly licensed game"?
Quoted from Yoko2una:
Danesi Lock replaced by 'Danesi on a Spring'
An ordering process that involves a required video in which you have to beg to buy the game...
Quoted from davijc02:
So if a guy were to order today what do we all believe would be the shipping timeline. More time more better to continue to add to my piggy bank
Well, it's looking like they've built and shipped roughly 70-75 since last September. Assuming that number is correct, you're looking at 70 or so after about 150 days. Math says it wouldn't be this year. But who knows
I don't find any of the new games actually casual friendly. I think pinball people forget just how confusing these games are to people who don't play them, and often don't realize there are even rules, let alone ideas like "starting a mode".
Like Star Wars for instance, that game isn't remotely friendly to someone who doesn't play. What exactly are they supposed to figure out how to do if they don't grasp the basics already? We're talking about people who don't know you can start a 4 player game on a pin, who don't understand what "lock is lit" means. These lock in your multiplier rules are greek to them.
I was going to say the same thing. Star Wars is so far removed from being casual friendly... it's too damn complicated.
Hell, I still have to look up rules on Stern games like ACDC and I've owned it for almost 4 years... forget trying to explain the rationale behind scoring to a novice.
Modern manufacturers are trying to give a game longevity by giving it the rules equivalent to the Iliad and the Odyssey. When in reality: the shots, playfield art, and - for the most part - movement of the ball is all the same. By trying to appeal to the tournament player mentality, they are alienating the vast majority of casual players.
Quoted from NeilMcRae:
I think they've built more like 100-110. A lot of show/on location games have gone out ahead of the order.
Neil.
The highest confirmed number on the list is #75... isn't it?
They’ve done “out of order” builds to help load overseas containers or get games on location too though, so my game isn’t necessarily the count.
But they’ve satisfied numbers 1-74 if they’re shipping #75 domestically to a home buyer... correct? At least that would be a reasonable assumption
Quoted from Lamprey:
The only thing I didn't really care for was the way the ball lock holds the balls between players, so that if you lock two balls and then drain the next player only needs to lock one ball for multi-ball.
Quoted from knockerlover:
#125 :party:butter cabinet, I was asked for payment by 3/21, and to send shaker motor/knocker.. seems like the butter cabinet batch moved me up a few as they seem to be in the 90's at the moment. Thanks to all the others who have posted their status in line for us!
#126 here...
TAKE MY MONEY! 
Always a good weekend when you get to play some TNA. Thankfully, I'm living close to the only one routed for $.25.
25 cents? What’s beer? A nickel???
Quoted from SpookyCharlie:
Just a fedora please. I'm not the rock star Scott is.
Back to working on Alice! Holy hell is pinball hard.
I can hear Nate Shivers....
Quoted from NimblePin:
What, no pimp hat and glasses for mini Kuato Charlie???
For shame 27dnast!!!
True... here ya go. Charlie is a confident man, he can rock just about any hat!
Quoted from Crile1:
I admit, I've struggled with the wait. But now knowing that there is a co-op mode...I'm so stoked. This is the best thing ever, Scott!! Sometimes my kids won't play with me because they say I always win. But now we can play together as a team/family. You have no idea how great this will be. I take back any reservations that I had. And now that they've broken the 100 barrier, #151 is becoming a reality!
I'd like to see a mode that allows players 1&3 battle players 2&4!!! That would make for some fun!
So, Scott, which mode turns the pinball machine into a hot tub?
Little confused on which buttons to press?
You know which button, stop goofing around... I am not adding instructions to the attract mode...
Love it!!!
Quoted from cooked71:
But then it’s 6 balls vs 3 balls which is not really fair (unless you’re aiming to handicap a player). Better the single player guy play 2 and 4. Will be the same as if the feature was “coded”.
Anyway, all just talk. Great game as it is - doesn’t really need anything more. Yet Scott adds more.
I think that’s what someone was implying - for me, I don’t care. I think it’s fine as is!
Quoted from Rasavage:
??? I'm #120 and haven't heard anything yet!
Mine is going in early (possibly) - which doesn’t mean the game is coming any earlier. Just means the money has been sent.
Quoted from OnTheSnap:
Which one? MMR? They seem to be going for $8K. Which may as well get a modern pin. Since I’m new to the hobby not so much into the older machines yet.
Hmm. Really a bummer I can’t buy a TNA off the shelf.
Just go buy a classic game from the 80s or a 90s DMD... TONS of awesome games under $5K
Quoted from Titan_Pinball:
Thanks for all the advice, and the congrats! I'll get the knocker, shaker and mirror blades for now and the grilles when they are available. Can't wait! I have really been wanting one since I played the white wood last year. If I get it in time I'll bring it to the Houston show in October.
They'll install plastic protectors at factory... forget the additional cost, tho
Well I look at it this way - I wanted a second pin for this spring/summer. I was looking at:
Starwars Prem
Hobbit SE
MMR
TNA but a 6 month wait. Hmmmm
Pondering all three, I liked the design, shooting style and Spooky as a company best (major soft spot for small businesses building from passions).
So on this list TNA is a bargain at $6K. Sure you can argue about toys blah blah. But to my eyes it’s just the best game. With a designer/programmer seriously committed to making the machine great. Already succeeding and gathering praise acclaim to the be best new machine out there
So... basically spend the same money as the other options. But get a better game. Sure if I ever sell it. But I don’t look at it as an investment. For years I will enjoy it.
It’s my second pin, max I will have a 2 or three pin collection. So getting the best game for about the same price as other options? And it’s boutique, gathering steam, has a passionate company behind it? And the designer is active here.
Dunno - I come from a hobby of 9 years. RC helicopters (where I also own and design airframes/flight control systems). Every flight I risk crashing a $2500 machine. It’s a rush. So to have a hobby that doesn’t require a disposable super expensive thing that I fling around the air is a relief, and a bargain.
Huge thanks to Ed for hooking me up. Super excited to be in the TNA club!
#125 arrived here last Friday, and since then I've put about 150 games on it. Butter cabinet was packaged extremely well, with moving blankets, thin white foam layers, and shrink wrapped. When you first see the vibrant colors and the smooth clearcoat finish on the butter cabinet, it is sure to bring a smile to your face.
The side rails are lasercut lettering "TOTAL NUCLEAR ANNIHILATION" and the hinges with the spooky ghost logo. Before they are lasercut are covered with a plastic film, this is then "weeded" once cut. It looks like the large portion of film is removed at the factory, but the small letter "island" remnants, and residue around the lettering/logo is left behind. Charlie responded quickly to an email asking how to safely remove it and said "nothing caustic" and "alcohol should be safe". We ended up using the textured side of a blue scotch brite sponge with some rubbing alcohol and after about 45 minutes one rail was done. This would be much easier to do w/ the rails off, not sure what options they have at the factory. To be honest though, I'd prefer they spend their time building more games if the choice is to take this extra step or keep assembling.
Others have mentioned that the power supply fan is loud, it is. I'm going to look into replacing it and will share with others. It's not at all noticeable when the game is playing, however when you're sitting back on the couch admiring that beautiful light show it sounds like a stuck car-horn a few houses down.
Game was setup for free play out of the box, and was ready for play almost immediately. After the first day I did notice that the gap on the slingshots was widening, and I think because of how aggressive the coils hit. Quick adjustment to them, I closed the gap on some of the other stand-ups, and widened the lower right bumper switch gap in the reactor as it would sometimes falsely hit.
With as aggressive and fast as the coils are, as much as you feel like you need to move this game around to stay alive, and the use of the shaker motor, you're going to want to set your tilt bob a little lower than usual. The tilt responds a little differently than your standard WPC game, almost delayed a bit, and I'm not sure about how the debounce is setup. A few TILTS have caught me off guard that I probably deserved about 15 seconds earlier. When you start the reactor from the scoop it has an animation sequence that you can bypass, I've also learned to let it run its course so the tilt bob can settle down a bit. I turned the shaker motor down to LOW intensity. The knocker I love of course
This game above all others has that "one more game" feeling to it. The rules become very clear, very quickly, but is still very challenging to play. This game will teach you how to be a better pinball player. The music when you start playing sounds so fast and energizing, but as you progress through the modes and get into later reactors the music gets a little faster and faster.. so when you end up back at the very "early" music again it sounds like it's in slow motion. I find myself needing to take a break between games because of the adrenaline.
The skill shot while about 10" wide seems like a lot of room for error, but it's truly razor thin. Very challenging, but very rewarding. In my opinion it's better to go for the short plunge, and try to get multiball started to deal w/ the grid, but you have to get by the right slingshot. A quick nudge to the left, and you'll get to practice your live catches on the right flipper.. (I suck at them). Drop targets and the grid are much less risky from the right flipper, and I usually try to complete the grid w/ multiball running.
I've learned to just use my ball saves whenever I can instead of trying to save them for something, 9/10 times It will dart into an outlane and I wont have time to switch where the ball save is to make it worthwhile.
Hitting the scoop from the right flipper is dangerous, so post transfers or loop passes are necessary to make this a less risky backhand shot. Coming out of the scoop a drop catch is necessary to get the ball under control.
I'll be curious if you can figure out a fan noise fix.
#126, here, waiting patiently!!!
Quoted from luckycreature:
So I keep seeing talk of playfield protectors for games. Anyone doing something like this for TNA? I plan on owning it for a long time, but Im not an operator so it wont be on location. Would one be necessary?
Just my opinion: No. play it. Enjoy it. Let it age. Gives it character!
Quoted from delt31:
As someone who will play this primarily as a single player game, I'm interested to hear how you do with it as I believe you're in a similar boat. It's the only thing that worries me about it.
It’s going to get mixed use here... I see zero issue with it as a single player, tho. Lots of challenge to conquer!
yeah I haven't played any early SS games so can't say but I did play TnA once and really enjoyed it. Again it's just the staying power which I'm prob not the best to attest to considering my attention span is limited to say the least. Bottom line, is this game was available to buy, I would have bought it already. Too bad it's taking so long to crank these out although Spooky might be on to something b/c as a video gamer, this reminds me A LOT like Nintendo - very limited supply to increase demand.
I really dig pins that have repeatable goals... or one tough goal to achieve. You just have to embrace that style of play and enjoy the purity of it.
Besides... game gets old, just sell it and bring in something new!
Kinda disappointed in the shipping company but yes, TNA has landed. I was given a delivery window between 8AM to 5PM and of course they arrived shortly after 6PM. Poor communication from them also.
The box was suspicious as you can see so I had the driver wait as I unboxed it to inspect. Game survived just fine even though some of the internal packaging was pierced nearly all of the way down. I don't recall ever receiving a NIB with damage up so high like this or to this extent. The box was clearly manhandled and SAIA Freight sucks IMO.
But the machine survived and its beautiful. I had just enough time to set it up and play a couple of quick games before running out for the night. I found some minor issues during pre-check that I easily corrected and so far, everything seems fine. - Thanks Spooky.
Mine came FEDEX freight... no box damage, but they also gave me a 9-5 window on a weekday... then called right around 5 to tell me they couldn’t make it.
They gave me another window of 9-2 for the next day, and showed at 1:50. Lol
You can’t win with shipping companies - it’s like waiting for the cable guy.
Props to Spooky for the two layers of protective wrap on the game.... I’ve unboxed both Stern and JJP games, and this is my favorite packing method (have a tight doorway into my basement and the tight protective wrap saved me a few extra prep steps to getting the game through the doorway).
Quoted from frankmac:
HOOKEDONPINBALL’s TNA SIDE RAIL LIGHTING KIT is amazing looking in a dark setting.. A must have!
How did you route the wires?
Got the rail lights installed... ran the wires like 
frankmac ... was easy as pie. Here’s some pics of this beast:
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F66362DE-DDEC-484D-B0CD-2C979CBB93B1 (resized).jpeg
93581A49-CBDA-4905-A557-ECCE0BD2A2DB (resized).jpeg
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2B5808CA-62E4-4423-8D09-1F9FBB168FF1 (resized).jpeg
5267108A-BE3B-4B6E-9CED-1997CD0FD4D3 (resized).jpeg
477F8CEC-11CB-4A51-8C12-BEFCE4F8D787 (resized).jpeg
7DBD552C-63E8-4286-840B-3677F70E4C83 (resized).jpeg
63A98AE8-3E48-43AE-8647-7C425C1F9415 (resized).jpeg
Quoted from HOOKED:
I’ll finally get a install vid lol.
More good news for those purchasing side rail kits. Going forward all will have a remotely wired button to quickly change the light mode. On solid, slow pulse and fast pulse will be easilly changed without having to lift up the playfield. Peraonally i like them lit always but we added the remote button due to feedback.
We also get to measure out for our next tasteful addition. Keep notes with your machine # my good fellas.
Wait... you can make them pulse without the button?
Quoted from Whysnow:
. By far the overall best built new game i have had on route inthe past five years.
Where have we heard that before??
We have games from EVERY manufacturer currently making games for play (on route in Madison) and Full Throttle is by far the best built, least headache, best engineered, and all around most sturdy of ALL the games we have put out in the past 3 years.
Phil - the game I received is just fine. Overall quality is on par with what you’d hope to get when you slap down $6+. Does not feel like a home brew, if that’s what you’re asking. It’s professional and tip-top.
I’ve had to regap a few switches (including the pop-bumper)... which is no biggie. Playfield is gorgeous and - yes - it is showing some dimples **gasp** (totally normal). The cabinet is built like a tank and the playfield is easy to lift (slides right past mirror blades). Stressing cabinet build: Spooky’s cabinet robustness and choice to stick with a wood backbox makes the game feel really good in the hands when nudging, etc.
Overall craftsmanship is impressive. Everything I ordered is on the game. Like I said earlier, Spooky gets an A so far!
My only complaint/ding is that the LCD has poor off-axis viewing angles, so it’s a tad washed out for taller pluayers. If there were a more expensive drop-in replacement, I’d probably purchase it. Fan noise is there - I have a replacement but haven’t bothered to install as the fan isn’t a factor when playing the game.
troll
Don’t flatter yourself. Just pointing out a reference point for anyone coming across that statement.
My buddy was simply asking about the quality of games Spooky is putting out - whether he asked about it before and now... or just now - he’s curious, as is anyone that’s thrown $ down on the game.
Spooky is doing a great job with this one. End of story.
Joe is my dude on this one too.
Joe rocks... I’ve bought multiple games from him. Even drove up to his office to pick up my WOZ. Quality guy. He’ll get you guys taken care of.
Interesting topic. Definitely less side to side with a steeper angle, but steeper means faster and you need faster reflexes. I’m still not convinced the angle of the pf affects ability to trap since trapping is affected more by the flipper throw/movement.
Agreed
Current update is 1.2.0, sorry that comment was meant for mayuh as his machines were built back in March.
--Scott
Is there a way to save high scores and settings when installing an update?
They get automatically backed up to the USB when updating, but do not get restored. Sorry.
--Scott
Scott - no apologies!!!
Here's a little TNA challenge for everyone. Spot the modification I’ve added to my game. Hint: You will want it after you spot it.
It’s not terrible difficult so I’m certain someone will be posting the answer fairly soon. So, take your time with the picture and work it before moving on to the answer.
Alright... tell us how it impacts the game!
Yes indeed powerball and man does this game play fast, ..err faster.
The powerball is self explanatory in its action. Lighter and faster it changes up the action off the flippers, slings and the plunger. It also rotates its position in the trough due to multiball and the randomness so you never know when to expect it. So far I'm loving having it in the game.
Sorry Scott, I hope you don't mind.
Marco http://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/20-9809
I’m all about making the game super hard... ordered and will give it a try! Glad you posted!
5th reactor is my Kryptonite .
How many reactors is everyone’s average? 3 ball game.
What settings? Factory?
Was told by KT that if I ordered today would be #420
i thought you were in the 160s?
Just FYI to owners (and perhaps your game will be different), but this past wknd I was lowering the playfield with the power on and a lug from the shooter lane coil grounded on the mirror blades. Lug is oriented to face out directly toward the blades. Not much room for error. Caused the coil to repeatedly fire, no harm done however
I wrote up a list of TNA mods with impressions, in case anyone here isn’t peeking at the owner’s thread. Thought I would share:
Quoted from RobT:
Received notice from Kayte that my TNA (#157) has shipped!
Something tells me that Bow and Arrow is going to start feeling like Relic. 
I had TNA at home for a couple of weeks, then decided I should move it in to work so the guys in the office can also enjoy it and we can play more multiplayer. Downside - I don't get to play it as much at work.
So 4 weeks later - screw the guys in the office . I miss it way too much and am going to somehow fit it in at home again this weekend.
The guys at work will have to make do with TWD.
You must not like the guys at work... leaving them TWD! :-0
Quoted from konghusker:
Finally got a chance to play tna last night in home environment. This game is a blast! How well has it held interest and replay value for you owners? Game is awesome.
Obviously depends on what style of design/rules you like. If you like modern games like BSD... early solid state games...the game will have staying power. I have a sweet tooth for games that have more basic rules and straightforward design objectives. I think It’s a long term keeper
5' 9". But I sound much taller on the radio.
Initially the screen was very washed out/white-ish. After adjusting, I have good black levels. HUGE difference. The angle thing isn't that bad unless you go beyond like 70 degrees to the right or left. If you are standing almost 90 degrees, its difficult to see...but why would you? As long as you are in front of the cabinet or beside it facing the head, you'll see it just fine. I think you have to take with a grain of salt how critical some people are about their machines. For instance, I have yet to hear the fan. I don't leave my games on just sitting there. I turn them on when I play them and turn them off when I leave the basement. Yes, I hear the fan when I stop to work on one or take a phone call. But when the game is playing, you can't hear anything but the amazing sounds. No different from any other cooling fan. The screen is fine for me. Not enough of an issue to risk messing up a great machine. I suppose if you were over 6' 5" it may be a problem. But my kids (4 footers) had no issues and when I sat on a stool and played I had no issue.
I played with all the settings and could never get it even close to the performance levels of the upgraded LCD panel - each to their own, I guess. Just for reference, I have a THX Level III Video Calibration certification. Perhaps I’m more picky about video performance... and maybe you stumbled upon a setting configuration that got you closer to acceptable. If so, definitely share your exact settings so others can try and tweak the stock screen first!
Switching screens/driver is fairly simple and quick... not to mention exceedingly cheap. So if someone out there isn’t satisfied with settings tweaks, a new panel is a legit option.
People should definitely wait on any type of mod purchase... that’s good advice.
Quoted from BillySastard:
More
Just a follow up if anyone cares. I emailed Spooky and they're sending me a new plastic ASAP. I checked everything over as best I could and didn't find any other damage. Also, the screws that I found look like they were never used so I'm pretty sure they were just dropped during the manufacturing process.
The build quality on my pin is fantastic and after a couple of minor tweaks with switches, it plays awesome. The balls left in the pin is a "shit happens" type of thing.
I’d rather have balls left in a game than a cheap ass cabinet or a playfield with delaminating inserts!
Quoted from Waldo:
Saw a TNA for sale in Denver CL.
how much
Quoted from bob_e:
$6400.000 denver.craigslist.org link
Deal!
Quoted from herg:
In order to play it like Bowen does, you have to have extremely good control. Constant live catches on the right flipper are not as easy as he makes it look. Restarting multiball is also not as easy or safe as he makes it look. I agree with lpeters82 , for a player of my skill level, constantly trying to restart multiball is not the way to go about it. I have to choose when to use my multiball and constantly be on my toes, both physically and mentally. If I start making bad decisions about what to shoot, it all goes downhill quickly.
If you're looking for complex rules, I'll grant you that DI certainly has it beat in that department. I personally have much more fun playing TNA, though.
I agree with this... and while I’ve only put up 20-30 games on DI, for my tastes TNA is way more fun. Obviously, different strokes/different folks
these guys nailed it on the head. Don't let Bowen's gameplay lull you into a game that's easy or repetitive or mulitball all day long. I try that strategy and fail miserably. I don't have a tenth of the skill that Bowen has and unless you're a top level player, I wouldn't worry about it getting boring. like the other guys have said, I like to hit the keypad, start the reactor and get it critical in single ball play, then I use mb to maximize reactor points, or to hit that damn "D" target by random lol. My best is starting the 4th reactor. I've put on probably 170 games since ownership 2 weeks ago.
So true. Assuming game play by watching a player like Bowen is akin to watching Michael Jordan or Mike Trout and assuming you’ll be throwing down tomahawk dunks from the foul line and crushing 420 ft bombs off the best pitchers in baseball.
Unless you’re insanely good at pinball, those videos show nothing of what you’ll experience when the fires up and balls start rolling around.
Stern is putting service rails in the pro model something not seen in close to a decade. Hopefully Stern code will be better realized with quicker updates than in years past. It’s been 4-5 years for ST code to get some bug fixes which realistically should have been done years ago.
I think a lot of frustration at Stern, they don’t put full color changing LEDs in ST pro so that they can upcharge the premium, no spinners on Met pro, no walker bomb on TWD pro and so on.
Whereas your pin was not about what you could get away with, you put superior sound, color changing lights, etched side rails and so on into TNA because that was the best version of the game.
Met pro without spinner just to save $6 (no) just to push the premium version same with TWD pro lacking spinner or walker bomb button which is a minor cost to hardware.
Maiden didn’t remove spinners from the pro like some other Stern, so maybe that’s going to be helpful going forward with the pro models.
Stern has a very decided tiered system of game prices... you have to keep in mind, they offer the only full featured pinball machine on the market for under $5400. And while what you list is true, they have to offer upgrades to higher tiers, otherwise there's zero reason to spend more for the next model up. Unfortunately, pinball buyers are the ones that enable this. Apparently enough people like it to keep their system alive.
Quoted from andrewket:
Spooky shipped my TNA via R&L, and it didn't make it to the destination terminal on time. Normally that wouldn't be a big deal, it happens - but it turns out next week is just really bad for me for a delivery. So I called R&L to try to get ahead of it and schedule delivery to give me the most options, and they told me they handed it off to a partner carrier. This is the first time R&L has done this on one of my shipments. I'm in the DC area - local terminal is Baltimore. The partner hasn't called, and I have no way of reaching them so now I'm just waiting. I've used R&L maybe 10 prior times and they delivered themselves. Anyone else have this experience in the greater DC area?
My game came to MD via FedEx freight... which is interesting. Perhaps R&L was a tad cheaper (or had more reach) into your neck of the woods.
Maybe you can have the game shipped to a neighbors house or a local collector?
Well, my prediction came true. The company R&L subbed to for the "last mile" delivery showed up at my house without calling or scheduling delivery. I'm at work, and my 95 lb 4'8" wife was left to inspect and move the machine onto our property. The delivery guy first refused to help, but then agreed to at least get it behind our fence. I've now canceled a bunch of meetings so I can get home and move inside before it rains. Needless to say I'm not happy, and I'm sure everyone at both R&L and the other company could care less.
Yikes... didn’t know there was more to this story.
Bummer. I can understand your frustration.
I had a rather unsatisfactory delivery experience too. FedEx scheduled delivery during a specified 6 hour window, never showed, then called at 5pm that night to tell me they never got the shipment on a delivery truck and had to reschedule. Not much you can do but roll with the punches.
Quoted from ectobar:
New pinball day!
Nothing to do but sit around and wait for the mailman. The shippers gave me the super convenient time window of 9-5, I think they're in cohoots with the cable company.
Time to go stare out the window
My money says it arrives around 5:30
Quoted from BladeFury:
Here is something to try if you want bass from the subwoofer to sound more accurate, tight, not so muddy and fluttery...seal off the two small ports underneath with something solid and see what you think...no disrespect to Scott or the team but I've spent half my life in Car Audio (built many custom enclosers) and the other half now in home audio. Building a subwoofer sealed gives you better control, power handling and you can get away with smaller enclosures and inconsistencies in tuning it. Ports have to be tuned, proper length, proper material to reduce port noise. No matter how good the subwoofer is, the enclosure is at least 85% of the importance of the drivers ability to reproduce accurately...
Thank you for taking the time to incorporate a subwoofer in this game as the music is Incredible Scott! It was nice not having to add another subwoofer under this machine. I might be being a little anal (reasons above lol) as it's a pinball machine but it's a pinball machine playing awesome music that helps get your heart pumping
I didn’t even realize it was a ported enclosure... you’re right, you can tighten it up by making it act as a sealed, much steeper rolloff.
I’m on the fence, can’t decide.
[quoted image]
Haven’t you played it?
10-12 games played at VUK.
Was a lot of fun but then I got DI and AFM LE and I wondered if I’ll get into a game with no modes and no ramps.
For example AFM is fairly simple playing along but then it’ll go into Martian attack mode and the game changes character, or the main multiball striving for the super jackpot.
Honestly, your doubts say: don't buy. These will be floating around on the used market for years to come. Why pay for NIB when you can play locally (at VUK, my house, other area collectors)... and if you really decide it's something you want, just snag one when someone is ready to sell? At the minimum you'll have a better idea of whether or not you want it.
Quoted from o-din:
If anybody still waiting has any doubts about the quality of what they will be getting, each time I look at and play this game, I see a machine that has been built by a team with a passion for pinball, and a desire for quality that goes way above what has become the industry standard today. In fact a quality that measures up to pinball standards of all time.
From a cabinet built like a brick shithouse, to a playfield made of the hardest, highest quality wood and a clearcoat to match, to wiring connectors that don't just randomly fall off in transit as is what is claimed when others do. I see this game as solid as a rock.
+1 to that!
Quoted from LoneStarPinball:
So this will be my first NIB pin. Are people putting mylar on the playfield to protect these? What are the thoughts on that? I ordered the 9 piece plastic protector set installed by Spooky, even though I'm not sure exactly what that is.
Don’t do it. Break that sucker in and enjoy it. Life is too short to try and make it some kind of museum piece. Let it live the life it was created to live!
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