Los Angeles, CA
The other thread blew up for some reason - so #127 checking in! Fingers crossed things have improved by the time mine shows up. 
(Topic ID: 301220)
Linked Games
Ultraman (Blood Suckers Edition)
Spooky Pinball, 2021-
Ultraman (Collectors Edition)
Spooky Pinball, 2021
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Ultraman (Standard Edition)
Spooky Pinball, 2021
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Quoted from BigBalls:I like ETH since the EIP-1559 hard fork the burn rates are amazing
Da fuq does this mean?
Quoted from Ashleypinballs:But someone has a pro in a lower number,
There is no Pro. This isn’t Stern. 
Quoted from nogoodnames222:This would explain my issues updating R+M last time; I've got a Windows machine but used a flashdrive my fiancee had previously used with a Mac... I wiped it first but still couldn't get the update to take until I tried a different (identical) flashdrive. Really odd.
I only use a Mac for everything. I've never had an issue updating R&M.
Is this Mac incompatibility something specific to the new boards used in UM? If that's the case, that's gonna suuuuuuuck for me! 
Quoted from mpdpvdpin:Wipe your stick completely or use a brand new one that is the appropriate size. Only use a PC (no Mac) and try again.
SpookyLuke - Can you confirm or disconfirm Mac incompatibility? If this is true, I’m F’d. Mac only home here.
Quoted from cooked71:Can’t you just use one of those virtual Windows things for Mac?
No. Nothing PC ever makes sense or works for me. Every PC I’ve ever had decided to break or not work for random reasons. I tried the virtual Window thing and it almost destroyed my Mac. PC has a thing out for me. Mac forever. They make sense & work.
Quoted from SpookyLuke:As far as Mac updating it sounds like Macs add some wild stuff to the USB stick. I will check with fawzma and see if there are ways around it. I know people have successfully updated with MAC but there seems to certainly be a MUCH higher chance of an issue.
If this can’t be fixed, this is something that should have been disclosed before taking money. Every pin or any video game I’ve ever had to update works just fine with a Mac. You can’t assume your buyers have a PC only. I don’t buy products that are PC only.
If you're going to ship a game that NEEDS constant updating, and I can’t update it without bricking it…oooph. Please fix this or offer full refunds to buyers who do not use PC. Thank you.
Quoted from Morgoth00:dont have a Mac and I don't buy products that are Apple only either. Not everything works on all platforms across the industry. Still waiting for Hulu to support PIP on Android, currently Apple only. Yet PIP works fine on netflix. Hulu didn't tell me that before I subscribed.
False equivalency. Comparing app features on various hardware is different than a coin-op machine that needs the owner to have a computer to supply it with the code it needs to function.
Quoted from Morgoth00:The average person I know doesn't even have a computer anymore, they use their phone for everything.
How do you use a phone to update a pinball machine?
Quoted from mpdpvdpin:Are we having an overreact competition in here orrrrr…?
Are we? I’m spending a lot on a game that’s unfinished and buggy. If I’m expected to “have faith” & be a beta tester, be compatible with computers that lots of people have.
Quoted from Coindork:I’m guessing you don’t have any friends, family members, neighbors or a job that have PCs either?
It’s a one in a blue moon kind of thing that you don’t need to do everyday.
Real world problems.
Try living in a rural area where your internet connection isn’t good enough to download code.
I have to either do it from my office or have a friend do it for me.
Somehow I make do.
Pinball is hard.
So, you’re just accepting that a normal function is now broken? And it’s on me to go bother people to make this game work? Instead of it just working like all other USB updatable games since 2006?
Sorry, I do not accept this.
I’ve supported Spooky & would love to continue supporting Spooky, but I’m not going to be part of a Deeprootesque cult that gives them a pass for bad things. I’m a paying customer, not a cheerleader or influencer. As a customer, I will reasonably discuss things that are unreasonable about the product. If this is unacceptable & this thread is only meant to be a cheerleading exercise, perhaps Spooky will refund my deposit in good faith. You’ll never hear from me again, and you can have fun driving all over town looking for a PC to update your game.
Quoted from DakotaMike:Maybe if you ask nice, Spooky will mail you a USB stick. Like how companies used to have to mail out new ROM chips for code updates.
Seems unnecessary when they could just, ya know, make the update process work simply like everyone else….but I’ll have no choice if they have committed to an anti-Mac path. Spooky has always been great about sending me parts, so I’m sure they would. Just seems like a waste of time & money.
Quoted from TVsFrank:He said a few hours ago that he was going to have it looked into.
I’m not arguing with Luke. I’m arguing with people giving me shit for being upset by this.
Quoted from TVsFrank:Every single person who pre-ordered this or Halloween knew EXACTLY what they were getting into
Well, that’s patently false. Many people thought they were getting another game with the R&M team’s involvement.
Quoted from Coindork:So what your saying is you don’t know anyone with a PC?
Irrelevant.
Quoted from KnockerPTSD:Posted from smart phone I'm guessing? You have other options for your code updates.
Too many people in here looking for things to complain about. What a bummer thread. Try being more positive. It'll make your holiday nicer than needlessly complaining about pinball.
Real supportive group of pinheads I’ve joined here. 
For real, do you guys have USB ports on your phones?
Quoted from TVsFrank:I've not owned an R&M, and only played it for the first time this weekend at a show so I'm asking these questions honestly:
-Did it need a code update at any point after shipping?
Yes, multiple. And they all worked flawlessly with a USB stick that I loaded the code on FROM MY MAC. 
Quoted from TVsFrank:Did it need some physical tweaks after shipping to play best?
A few. And I did them. And it rules. One of my favorite games.
Quoted from Morgoth00:You are cheerleading Mac for being so great and then telling people not to cheerlead spooky?
The ridiculous lengths & twists people will go to to have an argument. Jesus F’ing Christ.
I’m not cheerleading Mac. It’s been an established computer platform for decades. All pinball updates have been able to use Macs so far. It’s just to be expected from a mainstream computer that millions use.
Ok, that’s enough of wasting my Sunday with ridiculousness. Try not to attack people for wanting their $9k game to function. Hopefully this issue will be fixed soon.
Quoted from KnockerPTSD:Just download code to your phone and use a USBC to USB stick or adapter. I've done 90% of my code updates via phone rather than boot up my rarely used PC
My phone is made by Apple. Won’t the same issues arise?
Quoted from KnockerPTSD:Did you all see the point flying right over this guy's head lol
There was no point. They use different boards.
Quoted from KnockerPTSD:Most of us our excited by what Ultraman can be when complete.
…and you don’t think I am?!
Quoted from TVsFrank:These quotes are all from this morning, in this thread alone...
Also keep in mind that they were all made AFTER Spooky said they were going to look into what was happening to find the issue.
Take a deep breath, and really look at what you type. In fact, go through your post history outside of this thread and really look at how you act unobjectively. To an outsider it would easily appear as though you hate every aspect of this hobby and all that it is for you is a life-draining exercise. Never have I seen someone dedicate so much time and energy to push themselves into the bubble of the 1% of something just so they can turn around and yell at the 99 for not being included. It has to be EXHAUSTING living like that.
And its a shame, it really is. With your experience and knowledge you could be one of the biggest assets to Pinside. Instead every encounter is just another eye-roll moment.
Like you I'll drop this topic now and hopefully this will return to talk with Spooky that is purposeful. Type whatever you want to vent at me, I'm clicking ignore.
Wrongest hot take I’ve ever seen. Clearly has me confused for someone else. Perhaps himself? Nothing else worth saying to a person this disturbed and slanderous.
3 weeks later
Quoted from TechnicalSteam:I knew from talking to Barcade owners who had American Horror Story
This does not exist.
Quoted from frankmac:Hopefully Spooky goes full force fast on both these pins HW and UM and in 3-6 months the for sale ones will be gone. If not there could be a concerning amount of them in the market place. That could pose a problem for Spooky based on the time it takes Spooky to build vs the amount of people that might rethink it, move on to something else or cut losses. Hope it works out and fast for them.
They’re pre-sold, at least with deposits. This doesn’t affect Spooky at all in the short term. Now, if the reputation of these games doesn’t recover by the time their next game comes out…pre-orders will shrink to AMH levels. Not all people pre-order to flip, but they expect their games to BE GOOD & HOLD VALUE…that’s the “deal” for taking the risk. If Spooky games no longer offer that deal, pre-order is over.
2 weeks later
Quoted from frankmac:Not so sure about that.[quoted image]
Projected losses. He has no reason to sell it now since his is #500…last off the line.
Quoted from desertT1:Spooky has lost 2 team members that we know of. Who are all these others?
Scott Danesi, Eric Priepke, Bowen Kerins, David Van Es.
Quoted from manadams:Eric just put out a code update for R&M so I believe he's still with them
No he’s not, but he’s being a good dude and supporting his game. Eric rules!
Quoted from SpookyLuke:I'm not sure where this perspective that we like hired and So this idea that we somehow have fired our whole team is absurd and flat out ridiculous honestly.
No one used the F word….but many of us assumed that the team that made R&M so special would still be involved with this game. That’s not absurd or ridiculous. However, it is our fault for making assumptions. It is what it is, and until the code is at a place that’s very polished & fun, there will be grumblings of this nature. Looking forward to not having to grumble. Ultimately we all want the same thing.
Quoted from nogoodnames222:CE preorder spots are selling for 5, 600 bucks, people will just start forfeiting their deposit soon. May as well let Spooky keep the 2 grand and actually teach pinball buyers (flippers) what a "preorder" is supposed to be.
People selling the game aren’t all flippers. People are selling the game because they don’t like it. Their reasons for disliking it are valid.
Before someone insults me in a good vs. evil fit, I’m a buyer & my game is probably going to ship soon. There are things about the game I do not like. However, I think it would be stupid to forfeit my deposit, and I’m willing to “take the ride” & see if Spooky can fix it. This isn’t ideal. I’d rather be thrilled about my new expensive game, but I can’t change reality. We can have an honest conversation without defaulting to extremes.
Quoted from mpdpvdpin:There is far more grumbling in the UM camp as opposed to HWN. How do you all account for that? They basically the same game.
I think it’s because we know Ultraman has the potential to be more fun, just based on the source material. Ween owners want to be scared. We want to have a smile on our face while we play.
Quoted from nogoodnames222:People are selling the game before they receive or play it, they've got weak stomachs and they're trying to minimize their losses.
You act like there’s no context behind this. People are getting games and hating them fast. Trusted collectors who’s tastes people trust. That rightfully worries people when people are buying games like Godzilla and gushing about the experience, but selling Ween or UM quickly.
Quoted from nogoodnames222:Maybe next time these guys shouldn't buy a game they haven't played if they're not confident in the team behind it.
We’re going in circles here - but many of us thought the team behind it was different.
In any case - what's the point of shaming buyers? No one is a "bad guy" here. Buyers didn't know they were getting a game that was barely past prototype code. It's in everyone's best interest for these games to be great.
Quoted from nogoodnames222:This is the part that blows my mind, we've got a lot of guys in here acting like Spooky pulled a fast one on them and they had no idea who was going to be working on this game... do you guys not read anything before you commit to buying a 7 grand toy? What part of the team was a surprise after the announcement?
David Van Es is listed. He's not involved. Bug also said that Bowen was consulting. Bowen denied it later.
...but you're right. We made a bad decision...that doesn't change the facts and reality about this game at this moment: It's highly unfinished. People don't like it. You can't blame our pre-order ignorance for that. The GAME ultimately speaks for itself.
Quoted from mpdpvdpin:Hmm, but…the game isnt finished so you don’t know for a fact that Bowen’s notes will never be considered.
No need to try to "argue" this. He has nothing to do with this game. He never did. He offered some advice after seeing the video, that's not "consulting".
He's not part of this game. This is a fact. Moving on...
Quoted from frankmac:Guys, no reason to fight amongst each other!
Thoughts: 2.0
SpookyCharlie needs to answer these difficult questions. (Looks to be much deeper and piling up).. Everyone that put money down on a pre-sale or that has received a game should have and still should be explained what really happened and what is happening.
Transparency is going to go a long way here. I feel it can only come from Charlie as he is the end all be all.
Refund program seem like the best way to address all that want out. No good will come of holding costumers deposit money that are not comfortable in these purchases. That will only bit you in the end. Maybe sooner than later.
I think it's been explained. Spooky has always been open with us, which is appreciated. We've heard the humble "we're small & figuring it out" thing...it's all good. What I think would be helpful at this point is a timeline plan. Let us know what to expect for the future. Goalposts for what we should expect with updates. By (insert date), complete rules will be roughed in. By (insert date), we hope to add more assets and voices. By (insert date), we hope we'll be able to get the wizard mode in. After (insert date), we will consider the game to be rules complete...more bug fixes and balances will continue to roll out.
Jeeeze, everyone - can we not rev right into personal attacks?
I think we all agree on the facts.
I think we all want the same solution.
We want this game to be awesome? Right?
Rational critique based on facts with hope for positive results is good? Yes?
OK. Stop fighting with each other. Please.
Quoted from happyclan:This thread is starting to feel like Deeproot thread...sadly.
Let’s not go there with that type of comparison.
We all know we’re actually getting a game. We all know the Spooky crew are good people.
Quoted from TechnicalSteam:Someone should podcast or stream about the history of FOMO and pinball.
As far as new games go, it started with Big Bang Bar “remake”. Sold NIB for $4500, and as soon as people started getting them, they were selling for $8-$10k, and people were bummed that they missed out. Then AC/DC LE & Tron LE became desirable/expensive…and that’s what convinced Jpop to start his…um…scam, and people buying every Stern LE due to FOMO. Most of the Stern LEs after AC/DC didn’t impress people…so, FOMO cooled down for a while.
Quoted from hayrebear:The inlane return complaints are overblown imo. Throw in the right video/audio/text interactions during that time and this will probably actually turn to a positive, especially with the assets I presume Spooky has at their disposal.
This is what I'm really hoping for. Some clever choreography while the ball is traveling, and a better indication that it's been released toward the flipper. Just something clever/funny each time this happens will make suuuuuuch a huge difference. I dunno if there are scenes of Ultraman jumping into a canyon or a tunnel...but synching those with the ball entering the subway would be awesome, and then him busting out when the ball exits the lifter...that idea is super literal, they could honestly find tons of types of clips or Ultraman flying somewhere or something "travel" related while the ball is going from point A to point B. After the flasher/warning sound, if they can time an Ultraman "SCHWAATCH" noise right as the ball starts rolling toward the flipper, that would be awesome.
2 weeks later
Quoted from hank527:Other issue is shots registering from the left loop.
From my experience with TNA and R&M, Spooky’s switches and standup targets seem to be kind of “stiff” & they benefit from being adjusted so they register with less “push”. I can’t tell you how much more fun R&M is when the ball grazes the targets and you get something & when the loops are totally responsive. Not sure if Spooky sources different targets & switches than Stern…but a little dialing in makes a huge difference. Of course I wish it was dialed in more like this from the factory, but it is what it is.
Quoted from rotordave:Shit happens. Springs stretch after hundreds of plays.
Ask Stern how many times they tested the Rush Scoop. Or the Metallica magnet grab mech. Or the XMen Nightcrawlers. Every release has some changes on the line.
rd
So Borg works for Spooky?
127 is landing at my house on Wednesday.
I was playing Godzilla with my 2-year-old, and she saw Jet Jaguar on the LCD and yelled "FIGHTER MAN!" (which could mean Spider-Man or Iron Man lol). I think she's going to be excited to see Ultraman. She loves monsters & superheroes. Looking forward to the names she comes up with for the UM characters...she calls Godzilla "Green Horsie" and Mecha GZ "Robot Horsie"
Alrighty, got it set up in its temporary spot - got a few games on it, but gotta do a few tweaks before really “playing”….but so far, pretty cool.
Quick question - the topper light strip is supposed to do cool FX, right? Mine didn’t work out of the box, but I wiggled the wires a bit and the lights came on - but they’re only white & red. No strobing, color changing or flashing.
Oh, and is the machine’s number supposed to be displayed anywhere? R&M had the number on the plaque, but my UM doesn’t seem to have it.
BTW, the multicolor sparkle on the speaker cutouts is CRAZY - is that how the whole armor is going to look on the Standard version? Holy moly, why didn’t they do the CE armor like that?!
286950D3-6115-4623-9D5A-68EB5228DD4E.jpegD1485477-4343-4C5C-9E99-D901C2CC1D64.jpegQuoted from Frax:*edit* Why does the signature on the plate have a drop shadow? Is it just printed and not actually signed?
It’s signed. It’s a thick plastic. I had the flash on & the shadow is on the bottom layer of plastic.
55CB70C3-AA10-4C54-94B4-8E49DD3ABE62 (resized).jpegAlrighty, it's probably too early for "first impressions", although these are actually my second impressions since I played it on location last year.
Gameplay first:
-I'm happy to say I'm having a lot of fun playing this game today. After all the negativity, drama, people I trust telling me it's the worst game ever & they couldn't sell their spot fast enough....they're overblowing things & I'm sorry I got sucked into it a bit myself. I think this layout is a really good combination of "flow" and "quirk". I think a lot of people are "conditioned" to only accept modern Stern designs as the "be all end all"...and that's their right. Stern has been putting out some phenomenal games, I can't fault people for loving them. That doesn't negate a game like this being enjoyable. If your only love is FAST FAST FAST, yeah, this game isn't for you. If someone hates upper playfields, not sure this will sway them. Everyone has different tastes. I love fast/flow games, but also really enjoy BK2K, TSPP, FGY, WH2O...an upper playfield can be a good time, IMO - and these are really fun with the drops, targets, spinners incorporated on them.
-The overall feel is very nice. Flippers are strong, slings are strong, lots of rubber so there's some good random bounciness to the game that I feel has been missing in a lot of modern games. The center ramp sometimes bricks...not sure if this is due to the "half pipe" design, or if it's an issue with the diverter alignment at the top. Love the "butt pretzel".
-Even though the code needs work, what's there is a good start, IMO. Combos, Spacium, a bunch of monster fights that are unique and fun to battle, the Jirahs top playfield battle, and the Baltan locks & multiball are all a lot of content and fun. Music is fantastic.
-Most of what I'd like to see addressed with code updates is presentation related. The audio needs to be mixed better & more thought put into where voices should pop up (example, having Fuji's voice playing with the blaring horns of the Bonus music just doesn't work). Some things are confusing and need callouts or LCD text...example - I got Jirahs energy bar all the way down...but I had no idea how to defeat him. The LCD still said to hit the spinner...although maybe that's what I had to do? Spin more? Seems weird that the spinner takes his life down but there isn't a "final shot" to defeat him. Sometimes one of Pigmon's eye inserts turns yellow and pulses. Why? I'm sure this means something...but what?
-The balls going to the lifters isn't as annoying as I thought it would be. Yes, sometimes the game starts to feel slower if the ball keeps falling in the hole...but overall, not making me hate the game.
Quality:
-Very happy. Cab & decals are nice. Spooky's playfields are still the best in the biz. Like smooth glass. Love the sparkle on the speaker cutouts & wireforms. Since that's gonna be the Blood Sucker finish...I'll be honest, I kinda wish the CE had the sparkle trim. The blue color is nice, but I wish it had that rainbow sparkle in it! Oh well, I'll just stare at the wireforms.
-The audio seems pretty dialed in. The bass wasn't in "Taco Bell fart" glass-rattle mode like R&M was. No biggie if it was, it's adjustable...just happy when I don't have to adjust things. 
-Some scratches on various plastics. Not thrilled to see that, but Spooky always took care of me with R&M issues, I'm sure they'll hook me up with some replacement plastics.
-Not sure if all the games come with orange plastic protectors - but I wish they would have gone with clear. The orange distorts the insert colors that are under it. For example, the lights for the left drop-lock shot are usually blue...but the orange protector makes it look like that insert is unlit.
-I've lifted the playfield a few times, as a spring came off my 3-drop mech & I had to fix it. It seems like when I put the playfield down, it gets "stuck" on something and it's hard to get it down completely. With a little shimmying around, it goes down...but it seems to consistently get stuck on something but I can't figure out what. Not sure if anyone else has noticed this...maybe it's just something obvious I haven't figured out yet.
Anyway - those are my early ownership impressions...bottom line is that it's fun & I want to keep playing. If you like the weirder unique designs of 80's and early 90's pinballl, and you like Ultraman or 60's kitch...I think you'll dig it. Those contemplating walking away from your pre-orders...try to find one and judge for yourself. I'm glad I didn't sell my spot at a loss or walk away.
Countdown to my friends who hate this game texting me to tell me I'm a piece of shit lol. 
Quoted from metallik:I think that battle mirrors HWN house MB: knock the drop target down on the top PF and shoot the crossover ramp to defeat Micheal Jirah.
Nice, thanks! It's a bit hard to see, but the target & insert in front of it turn purple when it's ready to defeat Jirahs - the LCD still says "Shoot Spinner & Avoid drop target". Anyway - I did it, I defeated him - and it starts a multiball with the Japanese kids singing the Ultraman song...so funny. I love singing in games...Japanese singing might be a pinball first.
Quoted from Betelgeuse:I agree. There seem to be a lot more Stern snobs in the hobby over the last few years.
What’s funny is, when I started in this hobby - the snobbery was all about B/W 90s pins, and Sterns were considered inferior in every way. Even though many of the B/W people were involved, Sterns were shit on - even the good ones. People would buy LOTR & TSPP for the depth, but still insult them & had to feign shame for owning one. Even though I love B/W pins, sometimes I’d state that I find myself playing my Sterns more. During the “bad years”, when I professed how much I enjoyed Iron Man & Avatar, I was ridiculed by many collectors. It’s interesting to see how tastes and tastemakers have changed.
Quoted from Frax:Avatar has ALWAYS been criminally underrated. It's got what is honestly my favorite multiball stack in all of pinball.
Yeah, it’s a simple game - but had some really satisfying shots & great Lyman code nuance. Great movie assets, music & voice makes it really cinematic. Only reason I sold it is cuz I also had Iron Man & Tron, which are similar games from that era.
Quoted from metallik:Mmmm I don't recall this at all. People were certainly still crapping on Whitestar as opposed to WPC (flippers and sound were inferior) and also Stern's newsprint-quality cabinet art, but even back then folks recognized TSPP and LOTR as great games
Well there, you just nailed it. B/W fans would buy and enjoy them - but they couldn’t stop talking about the sound, art printing quality, the flippers are too loud, they’re clunky…
Quoted from metallik:. Not sure what "feign shame" means but the complaints were basically "this is good but can be better" not "I'm embarrassed for owning this." Maybe CA had a weirder vibe but we in midwest pinball central were very happy to get our hands on LOTR/TSPP.
There was just this vibe in the air that collectors didn’t want to admit they actually liked Sterns, even though they did & still got excited about each new game.
Quoted from Morgoth00:The other typo was Benular instead of Bemular. I reported that last year, did that get fixed on yours?[quoted image]
Mine still has Benular.
Quoted from rotordave:For me - yes, they make some great games. But they’re all very samey. All have the same feel … and most have very similar play. Most code is far too confusing for the average person. I’m happy to play them, but I don’t feel the need to buy them any more. I’ll just play my old ones.
That's how I felt until I got bit by the Elwin bug. For a while, my last new Stern that I still have was Metallica...the last new Stern I bought was Star Trek LE, and sold it relatively quickly. I completely ignored the SPIKE years until Jurassic Park. That was the Stern "game changer" for me, personally. I bought a used Premium. Almost got an AIQ, but the code was too math chess RPG exhausting for me (although it plays great). I bought Godzilla LE, and that was my first Stern NIB since STLE. Very happy with my 2 Elwin's. I also have a Rush LE coming...which, to be honest - if it wasn't Rush, I probably would have passed. Dunno if the code is gonna be a style I gel with, and the design is basically X-Men, which I had and sold already. I'm hoping to put a pause on any new purchases for a while. I still need to sell some games to make room for my new ones...and I feel like I can really dig into JP & GZ for years and never fully uncover everything.
Quoted from Rascal_H:That’s the plan. Though this has definitely taught me to wait. I could probably get a CE for cheaper than what my BSE will cost me. Glad you are enjoying yours.
Oh yeah, I mean if I hadn’t pre-ordered & bought someone else’s spot - game would have been cheaper. It is what it is.
Quoted from spandol:The Dada mode is pretty cool. Did you find a way to update without having a PC? Didn’t think they implemented a Mac update yet.
Mine came with 1.05 installed, which has Dada. Very cool mode. Fawzma said he’d send me files for Mac update…says they just go on a USB stick & it will update just fine. Not sure why these files aren’t put up “officially” for Mac users - but I’ll take what I can get.
The thing guaranteed to make my wife laugh hysterically is a fake person/dummy falling off a cliff. The final blow in the Ragon mode is just that - an empty costume falling off a cliff lol…I hope the code updates go full screen on “shot made” clips like that. We need to see that dummy shot full screen lol
Quoted from RC_like_the_cola:You will never please everyone, no matter what. I personally like the cool display surrounds made up of the Matt Frank art. Going from that, to full screen, then back looks choppy to me.
It’s more of a classic DMD style. On a DMD game, when you hit a shot, you get a “full screen” clip that lets the player know the shot did something cool. When everything is in the small dashboard window, it’s hard to tell what’s a looping “in the mode” video & what clips tell you that you did something. Going full screen instantly tells you that you just did something…just watching it in Spooky’s video I can tell it’s way more satisfying this way.
Quoted from BradLinden:If RGP memory serves me well, we've been in the hobby for a similar amount of time, and have a lot of similar opinions.
Yup, I’ve been doing this crap since around 2005 when I got my first pin, but got more “hardcore” into it around 2006-7 after I did some work with Stern & got sucked into the whole scene.
Am I nuts or were you in L.A. for a while? Or was that Dave K.?
Quoted from smokinhos:Question.. are the UM pins supposed to have numbered plaques? There's no indication what number mine is, but noticed that halloween has them?
Nope. Not sure why the autographed ones couldn’t be numbered.
I hope Spooky will do a run of plaques we can attach to the upper left of the speaker panel.
Quoted from PlanetExpress:It was covered awhile ago… It was a matter of scheduling, they could have numbered plaques without signatures, or signed plaques without numbers. Spooky went with the cooler option, signed plaques for all Ultraman machines (not just CE).
Charlie’s post: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/ultraman-kaiju-rumble-owners/page/3#post-6621591
Yeah I saw that. They printed 500 plaques to sign. Not sure why they couldn’t have been numbered.
In any case - they know there are 500, they know who bought them, they know our number. Print up some numbered plaques when the run is done. Please.
Quoted from TechnicalSteam:Does it really matter what # your pinball is? I mean really while a run of 500 games seems limited. I've had 3-4x of some rare titles like Warlock an Time Fantasy in the past. Not once did anyone care what # those games were.
In the grand scheme of things, no…but it’s kind of an expected things for LE’s to be individually numbered now. I know a guy that gets all LE’s the same number. Not sure why, but it makes him happy lol
Quoted from stf_dnx:Really quiet here, HWN thread is booming since they update.
I guess UM owners spend more time playing
I’m waiting for the Mac-friendly files.
Quoted from jwilson:I am a Mac guy as well and if you use a new USB and copy the files it works. Just don’t format it with a Mac.
Do you just put the .pkg file on the USB? I was under the impression you had to open that first & my Mac doesn’t know what it is.
Quoted from jwilson:Also why are the titles so low resolution?
I think it's more of a video compression issue than a resolution one. Stern games have lots of compression artifacts, too. Not sure if it's hardware related, memory related, or due to how the scenes were originally ripped/edited/exported.
Maybe someone from Spooky who knows the technical ins-and-outs of the hardware & process might know
I just put in the USB drive to run the update...my screen went black & the only thing happening is that the speaker & topper lights are cycling. Is this normal? Should there be something on the screen that says "Updating"? The screen is completely off/unpowered. I hope I didn't just brick it....but I'm waiting to see if anything happens before turning it off/on again.
Edit: I got worried after a while, and removed the USB drive and turned the game off/on again. It was updated! Horray!
Quoted from Frax:I've still got 4 pages to catch up on the HW thread, but holy crap the tone here vs there is night and day, literally. Like....I just don't get it. Must be something about the types of people these two themes attract. Oof.
There are more HW’s out there than UMs. I’ve got some play on the new code, but not much. Wanted to play a bit more before posting my thoughts. It’s pretty much all good tho!
I haven't played that much of the update yet...my game is having some non-update issues I want to sort out before jumping in hard. A few thoughts so far:
-Now when you hit the Baltan targets, the toy has a little "hit" movement. That's a nice touch.
-I'm not sure how I feel about the added sound effect for the risers. At first I didn't like it...then I kinda got used to it. Probably OK in the long run.
-Full screen clips all over for mode starts and shots made. Awesome.
I only played like 5 games of new code. I'll post more when I play more! Enjoy everyone!
Quoted from NashtyFunk:It’s not. Unless updating the code can blow a fuse.
Now I can’t update to 1.06 at all, having tried to RE image and restore as well as trying the .pkg standard code update.
Neither option went into any kind of code update and just cycles on like normal.
I’ll have to call Spooky tomorrow to trouble shoot this. It shouldn’t be this hard to update code on a pinball machine.
I bought a windows PC because I only had Mac’s and bought a 32g drive because all mine were 64g+.
Unfortunately the game was unplayable before due to the lack of code on v 1.02 and now it’s unplayable again.
You’ll get there, Nashypoo! If I was able to update it with my Mac, anything is possible!
Got some things fixed and played a bit more.
-There still needs to be some audio mixing work done. The voices still sound too "raw" for the most part. Announcer Guy is too loud. Fuji is too quiet.
-The new Timer on Jirahs mode has GOT to go. It was already a "Health Bar" mode, so a timer is redundant....but the big problem is that the timer doesn't stop when the ball is in a scoop. So if you have a few scoop-to-lifter moments, you get boned out of the mode before you even have a chance to do anything. The timer keeps running if you're in the Spacium Store! Please remove this timer. Hate it. Thank you!
Quoted from TheBeefSupreme:I’m with you on that. I want tweaks to that mode so it’s not such a grind but I don’t think a timer was the answer.
As long as you could get in a butt-pretzel groove, it wasn't that much of a grind...part of the challenge is keeping it on the top playfield. Now that your timer is basically gone after a few falls into the scoop, it's more of a grind cuz you can't even do anything & have to start it over.
Quoted from turbo2nr:never ending software bugs
such a rough code
spitting out random balls for no reason
holding balls in scoop for no reason
end of ball for no reason, etc
I’ve never had any of those issues. You must have a mechanical or wiring issue. There’s no code doing this.
Quoted from jwilson:You get health on the 2nd playfield? There’s zero indication of this on the playfield or screen, at least that I’ve noticed. Adding some feedback would be great!
I'm pretty sure it says something like "hit green targets for health". ...it might not be specific to the middle playfield...but, the inserts are green & flashing.
1 week later
Quoted from metallik:Not sure if the rules are different in Ultraman, but there are three scoop modes that use the drops in Halloween. One starts with them up and you have to knock them down to start progression to other shots, the other two involve hitting certain drops and not others. Plus they are used to qualify modes and optionally for the skillshot. Not exactly useless.
Yup, those are in UM too. I wonder if the people with this critique are are few revisions behind.
I highly recommend doing Snaroff’s subwoofer spacer mod. I just did this to my R&M and Ultraman and it’s night and day - moreso for UM.
Every time the ball comes up from the lifter, there’s a deep bass effect - and without this spacer it sounds like a rattley fart. With this mod, it sounds/feels like bass. While doing the mod, I also found a random plastic piece inside my sub - so, that prob didn’t help rattley bass issues lol
Spooky should be installing this spacer & anti-rattle tape on the glass at the factory IMO.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/aw-jeez-official-rick-and-morty-club/page/159#post-5975793
Quoted from TheBeefSupreme:Pleeeeeease option for mode memory. The battles feel really long and are really frustrating to have to start over. Gamora is an “easy” mode but I believe it takes about 13 shots: 3 drops, middle ramp, drop, across the bridge, two targets, ramp, two more targets, ramp, scoop. Ha I hope I’m calling that right but I rarely get through all of it. I just never feel like I’m getting anywhere in this game so I usually walk away quickly.
I think it would be good to have this as an optional setting. Some players might want the challenge of starting over.
Quoted from lpeters82:I do not have a timeline, but here is a quick list: refining existing modes, balancing scoring, new modes, new user interface, new animations, more clips, and two new wizard modes.
Sounds great! I'm guessing audio stuff might be further down the line...but are there plans to improve the sound mix? Announcer Guy's voice IMO is just a bit too loud, Fuji's voice a bit too quiet...and both sound "raw" if that makes sense. Any plans for more sound FX and/or voices? Just an example...I think it would be nice to have synced sound FX to the video during the start of the Baltan Multiball. The guy throws a knife at him...it would be cool to have the "whoosh" and "impact" sound like the original show. Not sure if you can use the show sound, or recreate it...but little things like that, peppering more sound FX to match the clips would be cool.
1 week later
Quoted from j_m_:- the lifters to in-lanes (yes, you have the visual cue but it would be nice to have an audio cue as well (something like a vuk solenoid firing sound, especially during multi-balls)
There’s a big bass-filled “brrrrrraaaamp” and an “electronic hatch opening” sound every time the ball comes from a lifter. Were you playing old code or with the sound off?
Quoted from j_m_:- the shots to the upper playfields (maybe it's just me and not know the rule set but there doesn't seem to be any indication when a shot takes you to either of the mini playfields. something with a flashing light for both the shot and the playfield that it's going to would definitely help
The middle playfield entrance is to the left of the scoop. You can access it any time.
If you shoot the middle ramp 3 times, announce says “Get to Headquarters” and all the inserts on the top playfield light up. Shooting the middle ramp will now divert to that playfield.
1 week later
Quoted from marksf123:#162 was delivered today. Set and just going through it to make sure everything works. Game looks great out of the box. As I check it out I noticed that the drop target to the right of the scoop is down when I start a game and even if I it gets hit up that lane it does not go up. Is this normal or something I need to fix. What should be the behavior of the drop target?
[quoted image]
Normal. You have to hit it a few times & then it'll come up and lock the ball.
Quoted from manadams:Congrats on getting it!!! If you plan on streaming it soon may I suggest learning the rules a bit before doing so, other streams I've watched just haven't gone very well when they try to figure it out on stream. Maybe hit up Rarehero or another owner before hand, don't think there's a tiltforums or pintips on it yet.
The jist of the rules is pretty straightforward.
-Use flipper button to choose a skill shot before launching.
-Knock down the drops & then hit the scoop to choose a Kaiju to fight. Screen/lit shots will explain the rules of each mode.
-Get to the middle playfield, shoot the drop & then scoop to start the Bemular mode.
-Shoot the middle ramp 3 times to start the Jirahs mode (the middle ramp will then send the ball to the top playfield).
-Shoot each Baltan target & scoop to start the Baltan multiball.
-Blue targets collect Spacium, shoot scoop to collect rewards.
That's about all you need to know, really!
Has anyone finished the Dada mode? It's my favorite mode in the game - but even though I've come close, I haven't beat him yet. After you beat him up a bit with the lit blue shots, all the shots turn green for a lock. Does this mean the mode ends with a multiball?
Quoted from Riefepeters:I’ve put some meat on this game and now have A few comments and questions. My high score so far is $50M with most games landing between $15-25M.
Why are your scores in money? 
Quoted from Riefepeters:My game is paying me out. Wait…you didn’t get the payout CE version?!?! Best ROI!
All those people selling their spots are gonna regret it! Lol
4 weeks later
Quoted from mummite:While the game is on there is a hissing/buzzing sound coming from the speakers? Anyone else get this?
Try turning down the volume on the amp, and then turn up the volume from the coin door...this should solve that problem. It's possible that the amp is bad or some wires were loose. My first amp was really flakey and that resulted in lots of sound issues. Spooky sent me a new one, and it's perfect now.
Quoted from mummite:The bass and speakers turning on game boot up is like a combo of loud ultra farts.
Adjust the bass with the amp as well...it's just a tiny tiny turn to go from "pretty nice" to "BLURP FARTS". Highly recommend you do the sub spacer mod & add anti-rattle tape as well...really turns the farts into actual bass.
Quoted from mummite:The music mix was a bit of a letdown. Really missing the OG intro song with lyrics. Would love to hear the Japanese intro. Why is this not in???
That song is there, bro. Play better 
SPOILER: When you defeat Jirahs & start his multiball, the lyric version of the song plays.
Quoted from TheBeefSupreme:AAAAAH still with the Jirahs timer running while in the scoop. That mode and the end of it were my favorite part of the game but is now just annoying. I lose a minimum of 10 seconds while I’m just trying to select the first battle and move on but the game is beepin and boopin at me while the ball goes on a side quest and precious seconds are wasting. I don’t understand how that could possibly be seen as a good idea. Make the timer less if you must but have it pause when the player is not in control. But alas, I guess this game is just not for me.
This. A mode with a power bar DOES NOT NEED a timer as well....especially when that timer completely vanishes with a scoop shot or two. No more Jirahs timer, please! Or at least give us an option to turn it off in the settings.
Quoted from paulbaptiste:I had a the outside loops lit up when I started the mode this time. I was excited as I thought that was a way to add time back to the mode.
I'm okay with it being timed if the scoop stops the clock and there are ways (outside loops) to add more time. I think this could be more engaging than having it run forever.
You have a health bar, so he’s attacking you & can defeat you. It won’t last forever. It’s totally pointless to have a health bar & a timer. That’s two timers. It’s convoluted.
Updated this morning, but only played 1 game before my kid woke up. 
I noticed the “Baltan wave” when the ball comes back on the left wireform. Cute effect! One suggestion - the wave should follow the ball movement. Back to front instead of front to back.
Quoted from TechnicalSteam:I currently have that combo..
Same!
3 weeks later
Quoted from mpdpvdpin:The game is cool as hell, so is HWN. Buyers are just spooked by the negativity of the pinside echo chamber.
At the end of the day, people make their own opinions & it is what it is. The games shipped with ass code, so - if that's what you played, that's what you based your opinion on. Fair play. That being said, I think there's a lot of "groupthink" on this game from people who haven't played it or only played the ass-code version of it.
As for the financial factor...sure, it does sting a bit knowing I paid "MSRP" + tax + shipping when I could have just walked away from the deposit & bought it cheaper from someone trying to throw it out the window...but, ya know - at the end of the day, when the game was announced - I wanted it and bought it. It seemed like the respectful thing to do for my distributor & Spooky to complete my purchase....and the way I figured - if I was going to "lose" money on the game, it's better to get it & play it a bunch, then sell at a loss vs. just throwing money away. If it ends up being a keeper, then the concept of "loss" is totally irrelevant anyway. I've got over 200 plays on mine & still enjoy it...it'll be really interesting to see how it is when the more evolved code drops.
Quoted from mpdpvdpin:Yeah? What’s your high score? Have you completed everything in the code in a single hand?
IMO, the game is pretty tough to get through more than a few monster fights...at least for me. I haven't been able to complete the Dada mode yet (but I love it, that's my fav mode to play)....I haven't even seen the Pigmon mode yet. Yes, it is very much like a 90's game - but with way more modes. Not a bad thing, 90's games rule...but different people have different expectations. While I love my Rush, Godzilla, and JP - the depth can be exhausting. Sometimes I like a game that doesn't make me think so hard or play for 45 min to get near the "ending".
Quoted from Tranquilize:It really does depend on the code. Right now, it's still an incomplete game. I've played through all it has to offer, and I'm pretty bummed. I haven't even bothered installing the last update because I don't care about a wizard mode when the base code is tragically incomplete. I haven't turned the machine on in over a month. Once production catches up in the industry and the recession sets in, prices for these pins are not going to be pretty. Maybe they will fetch cost in ten years . . . maybe. At least it will likely (hopefully) be fun to play when the code is done in 2025.
Weird, I’ve still been playing it a lot & enjoy it. The Kaiju modes are all fun, the multiballs are all fun. Sure, needs some polish - but it’s fun in its current state. I was playing a mix of old & new games last nite. Shadow was pissing me off, Road Show’s starting to feel a bit long in the tooth…I was having more fun on UM. Rush LE is the current king tho. 
Quoted from pinballjah:Dumb question but how do you know if you have the 'butter' cabinet? Thanks.
It’s clearcoated art direct on wood. Not a decal.
Quoted from pinballM:Who makes this? Not directly at Spooky?
I would like to see the process through a video if possible
Is it the same process as the radcals from JJP on collectors edition ?
Yes, it’s an option direct from Spooky. Once again - it’s art screened on wood and clearcoated. Not decals. Radcals are decals.
Quoted from pinballM:Did you seen the process? would you be willing to bet your money ? because i would like to be sure it's screened on the wood... and not similar to radcals
why did Spooky never share some videos of this process? we see pictures of assembly but never about the buttercabinet.
I would like to know where my extra $1000 goes
Dude they’ve been doing it for years. You’re busting in here claiming they’re lying? GTFO. It’s documented & fact. Not up for debate. Go do your own googling. They’re not F’ing decals.
1 month later
Quoted from lpeters82:There is also a new ISO image on the Game Support page for those Mac users.
Where? I only see the .pkg download.
Quoted from lpeters82:There is a link within the Reimage / Mac instructions...
https://drive.google.com/file/d/13xwQq4p78BHvLiZhU1hqa8Dg5W_G-nV4/view?usp=sharing
Thaaaaaank you!
Alrighty, finally updated and played some games on 1.08a! Looking good, lots of good new stuff!
Here are some aesthetic things that jumped out at me that I think can definitely be addressed:
-In the new U.I., the "monitor" in the middle of the screen is 1 to 1, and the footage within it is now "squished" from 4:3...so everything looks skinny. I hope that this can be fixed. Either make the monitor frame 4:3 (just bring the top and bottom in a bit), or just crop the sides of the footage so the proportions of the footage stay correct. The full screen footage is cropped top & bottom to 16:9 rather than stretched (which is good!)...so hopefully that won't be a problem for the footage within the UI monitor.
-There are a lot of "glitchy" looking transitions. For example, sometimes when it goes from footage back to the dashboard UI, you'll see just the red numbers on their own for a split second before the rest of the screen pops on. Or you'll just see a white flash on the UI for seemingly no reason. Hopefully they can make these transitions & timing smoother.
-I think it's time to ditch the "two halves coming together/moving apart" thing during mode select/start. It looks choppy & is often glitchy. Sometimes less is more. IMO, just have that Kaiju select screen pop on when you hit the scoop. Pop off or flash transition it to the mode start footage. It'll be quicker & look better.
The only "gameplay" change I'd like to see is a ball save option for the drop-lock shot on the right. When you hit that shot and it goes STDM, it makes you not want to hit that shot. I think that shot deserves a quick ball save, if anything as an optional setting.
I got the Pigmon Multiball for the first time & a new high score! That Pigmon song is awesome, but the volume of it is very low & even gets faded down much of the time. In future updates, please make sure that song is nice & loud!
Rules question: What’s the point of the green lock shots in Dada mode? I assumed any balls locked leads to a Multiball, but I’ve defeated him a few times & there was no MB.
35FC56DD-E9D1-4FAB-B950-32F7EBE39831 (resized).jpegQuoted from lpeters82:After a few seconds, Dada will teleport to a new location. To find him again you have to shoot one of the lock shots. The purpose of this is to pause the ball, so you can see the new location.
Ahhhh - ok, that makes sense. Sort of.
Green/lock is synonymous with locking for Multiball. It might be worth doing something different with this Dada “lock” stage. Maybe change the color from green…maybe keep it blue but with a different effect, like a fast flash? Maybe call it a “Big Punch” or “Super Attack” (or maybe there’s a better UM-specific term to use).
Quoted from pinballjah:Notice on the Spooky website, all versions of the Ultraman are now sold out.
Kaneda must be super excited to get his #500!!!!
2 months later
Quoted from RussMyers:The next UM/HWN code update appears to be delayed past Oct 31st.
Disappointing.
RM
[quoted image]
So what the scoop with Matt, the new programmer? Is he working with Fawzma, or is Fawzma gone? If Fawzma’s gone - will Matt be continuing with what’s been done so far, or starting from scratch (I can’t imagine!).
1 week later
Soooo
Quoted from pinballM:GAME CODE MODIFICATION
---------------------------------
Would it be possible to remove from the code the fact of touching each time the 3 drop targets at the start of the game and for each Kaiju. it's really repetitive and it's useless. Spooky could you please remove this from the next code...?
I have a friend who has this game and he finds it useless too
it would be so much better !! Thanks
That’s the entire point of the targets. To qualify the mode.
Please don’t listen to this guy. Thanks. 
Quoted from pinballM:Why not just only 1 Drop traget at startup or another thing to qualify the mode ? 3 Drop targets at startup for each ball are so repetitive that I'm bored with this game.
I love Ultraman though, I made 90M my best score but it could be so much better programmed.
Look at Cactus canyon for example, if you had to do all the different targets before starting wouldn't be as interesting !!!
I love drop targets BUT ONLY when challenging a Kaiju.
I'm just not going to keep the game
3 targets to qualify a mode bores you? Almost every game has a series of targets or shots that all need to be hit to light a mode start or accomplish something. Maybe you don’t like pinball?
2 weeks later
Quoted from ARTMAN:After a few days of 10-20 games each we've had lifters on both inlanes stuck up and needing to power cycle to lower them back down. On day two after about 30 minutes the flippers were already fading pretty hard making that center ramp shot near impossible. I was hopeful the flipper issues would finally be better. Anyone else had these issues or know of fixes? I did email support about lifters but now have to follow up on flipper fading after such light use.
Dang, I feel lucky. I’ve had the game for quite some time (#127) - prob 300-400 plays on it. Never had an issue with the lifters or flipper fade.
Are you on early code? Although I didn’t have those issues on early code…I wonder what could be different between our machines to cause those issues.
1 week later
Quoted from RC_like_the_cola:This is something that needs polish, then. Orange is the universally accepted EB color. Purple for Gottlieb back in the day, but mostly orange. Green means lock, red means jackpot. If you have the ability to make any light any color, it seems going with the old standbys that we all know is a good idea.
I’ve had this thought when playing certain modes with green shots - but the lock shots are lit & also green. Visually, that’s sending the player a confusing message when green shots simultaneously mean different things. It’s probably worth going thru all the modes & chnging green to something else across the board (except for locks)
1 week later
Quoted from Giebzilla:Do I have a broken plastic? I keep having balls occasionally get stuck as they roll of the second playfield to the shooter lane. They get caught in the gap between the wood and plastic above the led strip. I only have 150 plays and this has been an ongoing issue since week one. I did not originally notice any broken plastic pieces so I am not sure if this is broken or correct. If a fellow owner could post a picture of this area that would be super helpful. Thanks!!
[quoted image]
Yeah, yours might be broken. Looks different than mine. I’ve never had that issue.
4CC678FA-A3D2-427C-BDE4-B014FE27DA4A (resized).jpeg 3 weeks later
Quoted from Happy81724:You basically have to try to stare at the flippers the whole time to stay alive.
You don’t. Listen/look to the sound cues & light show. Any time the ball is about to come from the lifters, there’s a bassy BRRRRRRRMMMM sound & the lights by the sling flash. If you’re not noticing this, adjust the bass on your game.
Now - heads up, the bass can tend to sound really farty…so, I recommend getting anti rattle tape on the glass & installing a subwoofer spacer. That helps a ton and lets you get that bass without the fart rattles.
4 weeks later
I’m hoping the video clips go back to their original aspect ratio. In the update with the new U.I., the footage got squished to 1x1 from 4:3, and everyone looks tall and skinny now. I’d prefer they’d be cropped a tad on the sides if the U.I. screen frame can’t be changed.
1 week later
Quoted from paulbaptiste:Well said. No owners have been waiting this long for "cleaned up" code. I want a literal game changer.
I wish there were Big Lebowski's out in public, as what they did in their code update was a masterclass. They took all the basic gameplay elements and combined them into a coherent and meaningful whole. Each shot having meaning, each mode tying to the next, stackable modes, character rewards once objectives were accomplished... That's what I am hoping for. Take all the pieces of this game and give them purpose and tie them together.
Meanwhile, many buyers have waited almost 10 years and still don’t have the TBL they paid for. Spooky got everyone their games.
1 week later
Quoted from SpookyBug:I hope you guys are ready! We've got some gameplay here for you showing off the 1.10 Code Update that will be dropping very soon Enjoy!
Please put the end of ball light show back in before releasing this code. The 3D red/blue effects that sync with the music was perfect. Shocking to see that removed. I won’t update if that’s gone. 
Quoted from SpookyBug:We'll make sure it's there!
Yay!!!
Quoted from lpeters82:No hard ETA, but it's not going to be long. Matt and I are still doing some minor tweeks and really just making sure things are as good as they can be for this drop. Also already have plans for the next update(s), so hopefully we can keep them coming at a much more consistent clip.
I totally get tackling gameplay/rules elements first, but are you able to speak about any plans for aesthetic changes? I totally get that you’d prob wanna do that after locking in new rules and making sure bugs are squashed.
For example - when the new U.I. was introduced, the proportions of the the TV frame caused the footage to get squished/skinny. Will you be able to make the footage 4:3 again? The frame covering a tad on the sides of the footage would be preferable to the squished look.
Another thing I’d like to see refined is how the two halves of the mode screen come together. It’s a bit clunky & also causes some transition glitches. To be honest, I don’t think the game needs that transition effect. Just pop the mode screen on when you hit the scoop. Simple, more elegant.
I’d also love to see more sound FX or voices from the show added where appropriate. For example, the Baltan MB start sequence. It would be great to have sound FX with the knife throw, for example.
Thank you!
Just updated! Lots of noticeable extra sound FX and video clips! Science Patrol rules are very cool.
Here are some things I noticed after a handful of games:
NEW Audio issues to fix:
-End of ball light show brass music is cut short. Please restore timing to the way it used to be.
-Game over music is cut short. Please restore timing to how it used to be.
OLD Audio issues I'd like to see fixed:
-Please balance callouts. There are some Fuji callouts that are barely audible, while the announcer is super loud. Some Fujis sound fine.
-Please raise the volume of the Pigmon music. It's barley audible over all the sound FX...which is a shame, cuz that music is really funny.
-Please raise the volume of the Jirahs multiball music. It's not as hard to hear as Pigmon, but still should be louder.
Baltan Multiball bug:
-I drained to one ball during Baltan MB, hit the scoop to restart. At some point during the MB, the scoop lit for Mode Start. When I hit the scoop, the flippers died to allow me to pick my mode...when the mode started, Multiball was just gone. I'm not sure if these things are supposed to stack, and didn't...or if the bug is that the Mode Start became active during Multiball. I'm guessing mode select should not be available during MB...cuz the flipper kill was really odd.
Quoted from lpeters82:Let me know if you find a way to repeat that bug. I just played though it twelve times, clearing the drops to qualify a mode and various times, and couldn't get my game to repeat that error.
Will do - I'll try glass-off to see if I can repeat.
Quoted from lpeters82:Will make a note, but please let m4tt or myself know if you find a way to repeat that bug. I just played though it twelve times, clearing the drops and shooting the restart at various times. I couldn't get my game to repeat that error.
I just tried to repeat it and couldn’t…there must be some sequence of events or overlapping event that triggers it…but I can’t remember what else it could have been.
I haven't repeated that "mode start during MB" bug yet, but I just had a really great game....got really far into the Pigmon mode. Super fun. I noticed the guy says "Pigmon!!!!" when the mode starts - was that there in the previous code? In any case, that gives me hope that we'll see more voices from the show incorporated. Even if they just use the Japanese track, that would add a lot more character to the game.
BTW - I need to sell a game to make room for Foo Fighters, and I'm pretty sure I'm gonna sell LOTR. My collector friends think I'm nuts for not kicking out UM, but it's still fresh & I always have fun playing it...LOTR is legendary, but I've had it for almost 15 years. I wanna stick with UM through the final code! SHUWAAAAATCH!
Quoted from FatPanda:I cant remember if anyone brought this up. Is anyone else's autolaunch really weak after the code update? Changing the power in the settings seems to have little to no effect. I think it was at 18 originally and now it's set to 35 without any changes. Frustrating during multiball when it launches two into the lane and it just keeps firing.
It’s a little weaker, but still kicks it out around the bend on mine.
3 weeks later
1 month later
Quoted from Mro-Tek:And by poor code I don't mean bugs. I mean the objectives, modes, and scoring are not fun or cohesive.
I’ve been pinballing for a long time. I feel like I know a bad game when I play one, and there are plenty of pins I’d never want to press start on again. I keep hitting start on Ultraman, and part of the reason is I REALLY like the modes. They ARE fun & cohesive. Finishing a Kaiju battle is extremely fun and rewarding IMO. I love trying to get all the Zarab shots in order. I love tracking down the hidden Dada shot. I love the various super jackpots from the top playfield bridge shot. I love getting to Pigmon, that mode is hilarious. Collecting the Science Patrol is fun. Shooting the middle target for Skill Shot, and then shooting between the two targets up the ramp is a super satisfying shot that I don’t think I’ve ever seen on a game before.
I’ve been selling games to make room for new stuff. UM is still here. I think it’s unique, fun and fresh. If they squash some bugs and polish a few things, I’m a happy camper. If anyone has the chance to buy the game for $6k in this market - that’s a bargain. Give it a shot.
All this being said - I understand anyone being skeptical of buying a Spooky at launch for financial reasons. As much as I love my TNA, R&M, and UM…I get it. Lots of competition out there for NIB prices.
Quoted from paulbaptiste:Just in its current form the shots have no real meaning.
Please explain how the shots have no meaning.
-Skill shots are clear.
-Drop targets light scoop, scoop starts mode.
- Modes all have clear & varied shots
-Middle playfield is for Bemular MB (and other things)
-Upper PF is for Jirahs (and other things)
-Left scoops are for Baltan MB (and other things)
-Standups are for various things based on color, like collecting Spacium, activating Baltan for Super Jackpot, mode shots, etc.
-Science Patrol shot is for collecting Science Patrol, which leads to SP MB.
The shots and what they’re for is just as clear as any another 90’s-to-modern mode-based pin.
Quoted from Merendino:It makes me super sad to see/hear all the negativity surrounding these two games. I want this game but I'd also love to avoid losing my ass if I ever got one. I'm being offered one in a trade and I'm SUPER tempted.
There’s not much ass to lose at this point. If you get one for $6-7k, you have a legit LE, 1 of 500. If you already like the game - you’re prob gonna keep it and play it for a long time.
Quoted from Merendino:I just went through HELL getting my Oktoberfest working 100%. Trying not to let sour grapes sway me into a potentially terrible decision.
I don’t think I’ve ever had a NIB from any company that didn’t need SOME work or dialing in. My UM has been really solid, and anything I did have issues with - Spooky sent me replacement parts quickly.
Easy things I’d recommend for any UM/HW owner:
-If the audio has any hiss or farty bass, minor adjustments to the amp will solve this for crystal clear audio
-Adding a cab speaker spacer mod & anti-rattle tape to the glass will allow for awesome bass with no fartyness.
-If the upper playfield return loop feels slow or allows the ball to sit on the post rubber near the flipper, it’s really easy to reposition that ball guide to flow much better.
Quoted from Var1AbL3:You are not alone, I absolutely LOVE my UM, I play that game as much or more than my others and LOVE the unique layout. Also, there is NO shot in any game more satisfying than getting across the "bridge" from the third PF. You're in for a treat, enjoy the game!
Have you made the 2x scoring shot up the ramp when only the middle drop is down? That’s pretty damn satisfying too…especially because UM slices a baddie in half when you do it!
Quoted from rotordave:One issue I’ve picked up though - and I’ve discussed with Matt - is the game currently lacks instructions on what to do. So, watching newbies step up to the game, they’re like “ummmmm ok - nothings happening” … and in these days of instant gratification, they just write the game off. Don’t even give it a second chance.
Isn’t it pretty much like any other game? Shoot what’s lit? Shoot something to qualify the mode shot? Shoot locks for MB?
Quoted from Oaken:Still on my originals here as well.
Same. The game comes with spare servos, but all of mine are still working fine.
You can’t please everyone. What drives Applejuice nuts has never even remotely bothered me. If I’m in Jirahs mode, I know it’s top playfield time. If it goes to the middle, I’m shooting it out the side exit or letting it drain to the lifter. My goal is to get my ass back up top, loop the butt-pretzel till purple lites, then jam that bridge shot for ultimate satisfaction.
4 weeks later
Quoted from m4tt:As always, any bugs or crashes or feedback, please email me at [email protected].
We're all super excited (if you couldn't tell from SpookyBug 's video) to get Neronga into your hands, a really fun mode to play and was really fun to put together. After you've all had a chance to play it, we'll see about a post diving into the details, lots to go into!
Tons more still to come, more callouts, more light shows, more videos, and more features, plus of course the final wizard mode.
Is there any chance the screen tearing can be corrected, or is that a hardware flaw if some sort? I noticed that Scooby has it too - even tho that’s on a different board.
I played 2 games with new code & I’m having trough issues I’ve never had before. Two balls ejected to start. Both went into play, I let one drain. Game proceeded as normal, but when the “real” ball drained - on Ball 2, no ball would launch. I had to restart the machine.
Looks like others have already pointed out other bugs like the overlapping text, music delays, etc. Sorry guys, this should have had more testing before release. 
Quoted from Crile1:Can’t help but think we are getting what we deserve with the weekly rants about code updates. Patience pays off. Oh well, it will be polished soon.
Agreed. We know they’re committed to it, it’s best for everyone not to get on their case about giving us something asap.
Quoted from RussMyers:Have you tried running the new Ball Trough Test?
RM
Yes, everything checks out fine there.
Just played a few more games. While the sound balancing is mostly good, and obviously the sound options are good - an old problem still remains: Most of Fuji's callouts, specifically the in-game ones - have always been much lower than Announcer Guy's. Now that they've been "balanced" with the rest, they're WAAAAY low. You can barely hear her. She's completely drowned out by the music and sound FX. Sure, I could adjust those lower to hear her better, but that'll throw everything else out of whack. Please boost JUST FUJI where appropriate. Thanks.
Quoted from m4tt:- does it happen all the time, or only sometimes?
I played a few more games, and it didn’t happen again yet.
I don’t know anything about programming - but I’m guessing there’s some game logic issue that can be addressed.
-When 2 balls shot out, it was because one bounced back in and caused a trough jam…so, the game was trying to clear the jam & that’s why 2 balls ended up in the shooter lane.
-When the 2 balls were in play, and one drained…the game didn’t end the ball…so the game knows that after a trough jam, once the right amount of balls are in the trough to just keep going. (I’ve seen other machines get confused and end the ball at that point)
-So, it seems that something weird logic related is happening for it not to launch a ball at all on the next ball after the previous behavior happens. Something about that event seems to trigger this bug.
Quoted from m4tt:For your machine, even though it doesn't happen most of the time, you might find reducing your TROUGH coil strength by one in the menu will help make sure it never happens. The ball trough test in the menu uses your adjusted power, so you can use that to check it without needing to start an actual game.
Yup, I reduced the coil power & then things were working much better.
Oh, on that note - it would be helpful for the default values to have a different color or the word (default) so if you change things, and you want to go back, you know what value to choose.
Thanks!
Quoted from Slogan1111:Same for me. Just ball save issue. Haven't experienced any ball feeding issues.
Since adjusting trough strength, I haven’t had the ball trough issue…but it’s kind of good that a bunch of us experienced it, as it made it clear that there’s the “next ball not launching” bug associated with it.
Here’s a question - not sure if I experienced a new bug or a new feature. What do turquoise insert lights mean on the upper playfield? I swear I had Bemular lit on the middle pf, the lights on the upper turned turquoise - I hit it up the middle ramp & the ball went to the upper, but the upper flipper became inactive so it went down to the middle. Seemed weird, but not sure what to make of it.
Quoted from RussMyers:Yes, that was added at the start of Bemular in 1.10. Explained here:
RussM
OK, that makes sense...but that doesn't explain why my upper playfield flipper went dead when the ball went up there during Bemular.
Quoted from Slogan1111:Yeah. I'll try to mess with the volumes some more. Thought I cranked the amp volumes down pretty far. Tough to tell the way the amp is situated in the cab. Knobs facing right. Lol.
Ok with the skill shot. Good to know. Thx.
It could also be a bum amp. Try reseating the connections, see if that helps. My first amp ended up having flakey terminals, Spooky sent me a new one, and it sounds great now.
1 week later
Quoted from V8haha:Finally sold my ultraman CE had to do $5600 ouch that resale value was rough!
Oooph. At this point, everyone is better off just holding onto it until the code is done. Whether the value goes up or down, you owe it to yourself to enjoy the completed finished game if you paid NIB price.
Quoted from m4tt:Hi everyone,
Just a quick update to let you know that we're finishing up a small update that addresses the issues found and reported in v1.11, and running it through testing, thanks for all the feedback from everyone.
I thought I'd also check in and see what people think of the new mode Neronga. Any thoughts on the difficulty of qualifying or playing it? Is it clear enough what's going on? Is it a mode you try and get to? And do you try and stay in it for as many rounds as possible or do you aim to hit that crossover shot as soon as it opens up?
If people are interested, I'd be happy to put up a detailed post about the mode (rules, points, etc), let me know. We didn't want to spoil it for anyone when it first came out.
I’ll be honest, so far when I’ve gotten the mode, I’m not sure if what I’m doing is actually accomplishing things. The explanation at the start seems clear. The light show makes it clear which power plant is going down - but when I get to that area, I’m not sure what my shots are doing. For instance, the middle playfield was blinking - so I got up there and my shots didn’t seem to be affecting the power plant level. The ball then fell down to the scoop and the power level went back up.
1 week later
Quoted from RussMyers:OK, so on my UM, there is a light flash and a sound every time for the ball lifters, BUT, the sound cue is now very low volume, especially on the right side, don't know why. The relative volume for this cue seems to be almost drowned out now since the latest update allows for more changes you can make to various sound levels. I want to ask Matt about that; no wonder you are missing it, I can barely hear it myself. I've trained myself to not need it, for the most part.
Also, yes, a short plunge will hit the lower right loop rollover switch and the game interprets that as a Missed Skill Shot. Should not happen with a full plunge/ full loop at ball start.
Kind of a matter of opinion as to whether that should happen (see above comments).
RussM
Turn up the bass a bit on your amp. That should help. It’s a mostly bassy cue.
1 week later
Played a bit of the new code, all seems to be working well! Nothing glaring & the bugs of the last version seem to be squashed.
I have 1 aesthetic recommendation for the mode start:
Can we just get rid of the “curtain effect” with the two halves moving apart? As it is, it doesn’t really work. When you start a mode, the “curtains” part, revealing a still art - and then the mode select screen pops back on before the mode start video begins. It’s clunky. I’d much rather see an instant cut to the mode start video when you choose a kaiju. At most, maybe a quick flash/sound effect on the highlight around the Kaiju to indicate you’ve chosen.
The only way the curtain parting will look good is if it’s faster & reveals the mode start video. If that’s not possible, the clean cut will look much better.
2 weeks later
1 month later
Quoted from PirateJess:I Purchased a new in box Ultraman CE that a local distributor had(my first ever new in box game), and right out of box it doesn’t turn on, and the plastic kicker thing that returns the ball to the inlane is broken. There’s also some cosmetic damage to the art blades inside the machine, and some dings on the back of the cabinet as if it got scrapped up when it was being boxed.
Does anyone know if these were common issues with this game? Or did I just get very unlucky.
The distributor recommended I reach out to spooky support so I did, but this is my first spooky game. What kind of support can I expect? Are they good about helping with this kind of thing?
The distributor should be helping you out. That’s pretty shady. That being said, Spooky customer service is excellent. They’ll send you any new parts you’ll need to make things right.
2 weeks later
Quoted from Slogan1111:One thing I hate when you ramp to the middle pf. It should have a stop or pause. A lot of times it flies up there and i don't have a chance to hit it. If you focus on it and miss the shot. It rebound back to flippers. Than you're not ready for that. And drain. Lol. Anyone else with same difficulties or a solution?
Hold the flipper up, as it flies up there, it’ll then fly up off the raises flipper and bounce back toward it, allowing you to get some control.
Quoted from Roostking:That would make it harder for noobs. With the current setup, there is a element of timing that can be put into play. Staged balls would just make it too fast and furious, especially when trying to track 3 balls on 3 different playfields. IMO
Yeah, I’m cool with the way it is & the rhythm of the game. The sound/lights warnings that the ball is coming is sufficient.
Quoted from Lostcause:Like I said, staged balls in single ball play=everyone is happy except Spooky having to work it out.
Staged balls in multiball, fuck that the game is hard enough
I’m just thinking - with 2 areas to stage & no way for the game to pre-load them…could it even really work or would it just throw things off?
1 week later
Quoted from wastedthelight:#372 has landed!!
Though I'm not wondering how the hell Scooby, a widebody, is getting through the door...at least boxed.
[quoted image][quoted image]
Widebodies fit thru doors just fine. The heads are the same size as normal games. The box is the same size.
Played some update today, thanks Spoopy Team!
Once again, I’m begging you - do something about balancing Fuji’s callouts. So many of them are so low, you just barely hear mumble mumble mumble under all the music & sound FX.
1 week later
Quoted from lpeters82:We appreciate the kind words, and "kind" reviews, LOL. I really do think these games will ultimately find their way to owners who love them. It may not be a huge surprise given the insert name, but I can't wait for you all to see the Wizard Mode. Lots of new kaiju and maybe a new Ultra???
Dang, I offered mine up for sale cuz I need to make room for Elvira Blood Red Kiss…but maybe I should stay in the club & sell something else in the meantime.
2 weeks later
Quoted from desertT1:Looks like a few signature plates on the speaker/display panel. Was there info on how to request that?
Every game comes with the autographed Bin Furuya plate.
1 month later
Quoted from SpookyLuke:Was taking a look at the update today for this game. Holy **** Guys it's looking so cool. Will be a little while before release yet but you guys will be stoked.
I know your focus is stuffing new content in there, but I hope you can also do some long needed little things like balancing some of the audio. So many Fuji callouts are super quiet and buried under the rest of the audio. Thanks!
1 week later
Quoted from MongolianMisfit:Has anyone asked about the screen tearing and asked if that’s ever going to be fixed?
Screen tearing is also on Scooby, TCM, and LT. I hope it can be solved, but it seems like it’s a “feature” at this point.
Quoted from thekaiser82:What is screen tearing? I have UM and SD but unsure what this is or what to look for.
It’s like a “clear line” that goes through the image - and you can see that the image is slightly “torn” for a blip.
I’m not sure if it’s like this article says - a sync issue between the cpu & monitor, or an issue with how Spooky captures/renders their video assets. Rick & Morty (PROC) didn’t have tearing. HW/UM
(Pinotaur) & Scoob/LT/TCM (new board) do.
IMG_4050 (resized).jpegQuoted from wastedthelight:Interesting. Haven't seen this in SD or UM with 300 games on each.
It’s subtle, but it’s there. Some may never notice it, especially since you’re usually looking at the playfield.
Stern’s LCD games usually have tons of compression artifacting while Spooky’s don’t. Again - some may not notice it.
Quoted from MongolianMisfit:Yeah, the screen tearing in my Ultraman is ROUGH, even after 1.13 code update. If might not be something that others really notice, but it’s really bad and rather jarring imo. I adore this pin and updates, but the screen tearing feels less than premium and I’d give anything for them to fix it with a patch and vsync it.
I’d also like them to switch the squished skinny 1 footage in the UI frame back to 4:3, even if it has to be slightly cropped on the sides to fit within the UI.
Quoted from thekaiser82:Totally agree! That drives me nuts. I suspect the license holder would also prefer their content correctly displayed.
Well, they do crop 4:3 on the top and bottom to fit 16:9 during the non-UI clips that take up the whole LCD…and that looks fine. Cropping is preferable to squishing or stretching.
Quoted from wastedthelight:I haven't looked for sizing, only color adjustments, but there are buttons on the back of the LCD to adjust some settings, sizing may be one of them. There's also a sticky post on this thread with recommended color settings to really make the colors pop for UM. I started there and adjusted a bit more.
Yeah, that’s def a screen setting issue, not a code issue. The image on the display is zoomed in.
Quoted from m4tt:Agreed on those. They are both high priorities
Getting the quiet Fuji callouts audible is the highest priority, yes?
& getting the footage in the UI monitor back to 4:3 instead of 1x1 squished.
Quoted from RikeIsland:I love my Ultraman, but I would love it a lot more if I got it for $6000 and not the original $9000. Thought about selling it a couple times, but I just can’t.
I need to move something to make room for my new EHOH & something else for my upcoming Pulp Fiction. I kinda don’t wanna sell any more B/W 90s games…so UM seems like a logical choice, but I still legit love playing it & wanna keep it thru final code.
Quoted from Taygeta:I would drop RFM and/or NGG in a hot minute before Ultraman.
RFM takes up less space, if I got rid of it it wouldn’t give me an extra spot. I love NGG, and it’s a mint low play HUO. I don’t want to get rid of any more B/W games at the moment. Even though I love many newer releases, nothing compares to the unique features & mechs in the 90s games.
I’m gonna list my LOTR. Great game, but I think I’ve played my fill at this point.
Quoted from m4tt:This has been bugging us too! I'm happy to say that we've fixed it, and the fix will be in the upcoming update.
IMG_4229 (resized).jpeg 1 week later
Quoted from alexorear:Anyone having issues updating from a Mac? Thought this was fixed (again) but I'm getting USB format issues using the same drive I've always used. I have previously used this drive for updates from a Mac and PC.
I can’t even download the code in my Mac. Tried Safari & Chrome and the URL is blocked for being unsecure.
This hasn’t happened before, I wonder if there’s something Spooky can fix in their end.
Quoted from alexorear:Anyone having issues updating from a Mac? Thought this was fixed (again) but I'm getting USB format issues using the same drive I've always used. I have previously used this drive for updates from a Mac and PC.
I’ve tried every method for Mac that used to work fine - none work. Has anyone with a Mac had success with 1.15?
Quoted from Mogg:I had no issue downloading it on my iPhone. I’ll transfer to computer later.
Download isn’t the issue. Installation fails every time.
IMG_4372 (resized).jpegThe fixed aspect ratio within the 4:3 UI monitor looks good - but am I crazy…I swear the full screen 16:9 clips now look stretched horizontally, and before I think they were just cropped. Am I seeing things, or did this change? Like on the Ball Save screen, Ultraman looks stretched/fat. I don’t think it was like that in 1.13.
Did correcting the UI footage also stretch out the full screen footage?
1 month later
Aw yeah, I competed Neronga for the first time last nite!
Question: When it was time for the final shot, the “science patrol” shot insert had a rainbow light show like the upper playfield - so I hit it a few times, but it didn’t seem to do anything. Was that a bug, or is there a reason that shot would have a rainbow light effect, too?
Quoted from Gunner007:All thats there is the latest firmware update.
No instruction about any of the menus?
Basically 0 info on the site.
It’s like every other pinball machine. Press the Enter button in the coin door to go into the menu. Use the two black buttons to navigate. Easy peasy.
IMG_4831 (resized).jpegQuoted from CapeCodPin:I'm struggling with this game. I'm limited to 2 machine due to so little space. I have a Godzilla Premium that is bolted to the floor and I'm looking for #2. I like the idea of a non-Stern title and a unique gameplay. A few Spooky's intrigue but this game is a bargain right now and the playfield looks interesting. Problem is, I can't play one anywhere before buying so it's a bit scary. How the flow? I read many negatives turning to positives after the latest code? I'm not a huge fan of the franchise but the synergy with GZ isn't lost on me. Looney Tunes is a theme that hits for me. Headed to Pintastic but so far there's no UM listed there. I'm stumped.
Where are you located? Maybe someone will let you play theirs. It’s a weird and quirky game. For some that’s a plus, for others a minus. It’s got some flow, some stop. The modes are extremely well coded & diverse. It has cool and funny music. It has great light shows. 2 fun to shoot upper playfields. Only you can decide if you like the gameplay. Some act like the game causes cancer. Some love it. I won’t try to talk you into it, even tho I enjoy it.
2 weeks later
Quoted from Slogan1111:Is there any substance of a rulesheet? I mainly want to know how to beat each monster. I have little clue at what to shoot at. I've beaten some here & there. But I don't know how. Lol.
Generally, just hit the colored shots. Instructions are on the LCD. Each monster has different shots and gimmicks. There’s one where you have to hit the correct drip target & then its other shots light up. Zarab’s shots are the standup targets, but you get more points if you shoot them in order from left to right. Dada hides, but it’ll show you which spot is his hiding spot before it vanishes - shoot his hidden shot to unveil the other shots you can hit to harm him.
Quoted from Slogan1111:But how do you inevitable beat/finish the monsters? Like with Radon. You shoot purple combos. They change colors. Still telling me to shoot purple when all the purple is gone. Lol. How do you win?
I guess it doesn't retain progress either? Starting over everytime you choose a monster? Again. I guess a rule sheet would be very helpful.
Final shot blinks and makes the high pitched UM timer sound effect. It’s usually one of the left scoops.
Quoted from Slogan1111:10 sec 5 sec countdown is to hit lit blue standups. It adds points for when you go into the spacium store. Also to shoot
The scoop to get into the store. I believe?
I think it would be helpful if the announcer guy said “10 seconds to collect Spacium!” so the countdown makes sense to newer players.
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