Ultraman (Blood Suckers Edition)
Spooky Pinball, 2021
Ultraman (Collectors Edition)
Spooky Pinball, 2021
Ultraman (Standard Edition)
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You CE guys can keep your Jet VTOL, I'm adding the real star of the first season to my Standard. If anyone else is interested, licensed Bandai Corvair is only 7 bucks on Amazon right now.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HZ6Q7M6/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_YE32KSAN7THKZZJXY39W
Bitchin Corvair (resized).pngQuoted from Sixxin:So for what it is worth, I got to finally play UM this weekend on location. I have one on order in the early 300s and was wanting to figure out if it was really as bad as the current market is making it out to be (short answer is no). I was also fortunate, as I got to play a Godzilla LE and Mando LE back to back with UM. Here are my thoughts for any other UM people that have one on order, but have not been able to play the game yet. Full disclosure, I historically enjoy Spooky games, as I owned a TNA for 2.5 years and currently still own my R&M (great game). With that being said, I have honestly been pretty annoyed at the situation in the past couple months of seeing how "rough" the state of the game is in and the lack of gameplay information I had before I had to put down a non-refundable deposit. I never bought the game to flip, but rather just wanted an enjoyable kaiju-related game with good theme integration similar to R&M or ACNC. For me, this is a make or break moment for Spooky as a customer. If they cannot deliver a really fun and engaging game like TNA or R&M, I simply won't be pre-ordering with them again regardless of future themes due to the speculative nature of it.
Pros: The game is visually stunning. Out of maybe 20 games at the location, it easily was in the top 3 from a looks perspective. The playfield artwork, side blades, and lighting all pop. The LED strips on the upper playfields are not distracting from the player's perspective and add atmosphere to the playfield. I was worried about this, as they are pretty visible on stream. The shots are smooth and pretty satisfying. The layout is unique and feels different in a good way. I was worried about how the upper playfields would feel, but the middle playfield felt good and I always felt like I had shot variety. I think something was wrong with the upper playfield entrance on the game I played, as I never ended up getting to it--lots of rejects from that ramp when I expected to get up there. The music is also excellent--it sets the right mood for the theme.
Cons: The code is super bare bones. I don't want to beat a dead horse, but in current form there is little to no instructions to the player on what to hit, or general strategy throughout the game. I had researched the rules before going to know what to do, but it was still a challenge sometimes. There is no risk versus reward present in the current code or cumulative feeling of progression. There are extremely few callouts and virtually no feedback or audible reward directed to the player. The subway to ball risers are a miss for me. From a positive side, they create very controllable situations to make shots, but they take forever. I think I counted about a 6-7 second delay between hitting the ball into a subway and the release of the ball into the inlane. Instead of creating a positive effect of "where did the ball go", within a few games it created a mini-cringe of "c'mon not again". Honestly, I don't think they can do much to fix it at this point, as it doesn't seem like the R&M staging would work. Finally, very little of the series is effectively integrated into the game in the current code. I didn't notice many show scenes other than UM flipping monsters. There are a ton of funny (intentional or not) parts to the series. These are not currently cultivated.
Summary: As everyone has said, layout cannot be changed, but code can. Playing the game is, at a base level, fun and seems promising. Honestly, I found myself choosing to play UM more games than Godzilla. I went into playing this weekend trying to figure out if I would sell my spot to get a Godzilla. At this point, I intend to keep my UM spot, as I like the theme and the general campy vibe feels good to me. I have faith that Charlie would not let a personal theme fall short from an integration standpoint. With that being said, I have seen a few people say this game isn't that bad where it currently sits code/rules wise. This simply is not true. It is very rough. It needs substantial consideration to incorporate risk versus reward elements, additive progression, and world building. These are fundamental pinball elements that keep players coming back for more. The game also needs MANY more callouts. Reactions to monsters, instructions to the player, and general world-building commentary is needed to be immersive. Right now, it is very sterile outside of the music. The game also has long ball times due to a forgiving layout, controllable shots due to the riser system, and deep shots. I don't mind this, but long playing games need DEEP rulesets. I want to feel like I am going on a journey or get to build an experience that differs slightly each time.
Suggestions: Lean into the time period, Japanese atmosphere, campy and funny nature of the show in the callouts, and consider mini-modes that focus on these elements similar to what Dialed In did with the Crazy Bob modes (lottery, emoji, etc). Since the ball is very controllable, you should consider integration of hurry-ups and mode-completion benefits or shot multipliers to add a sense of urgency, build-up, or importance of completing a task. Beating monsters should feel desirable and distinct between them. Right now, it just feels very rinse and repeat. A mode completion hurry up ala Alice Cooper in one of the left side holes for quick big points seems logical since they are not easy shots. Thought should be given to do something to entertain the player while waiting for the ball to come up in the riser during single ball play so it doesn't feel like wasted time. Maybe some sort of quick flipper controlled mini game like avoiding monster attacks for points, item collection like pizza slices on TMNT, or minor reward like the Indy 500 flip-through awards. Finally, always give me something to do on each of the upper playfields every time I get up there no matter the game state. Specifically, some interesting rule or effect needs to be integrated when hitting the ball into the shooter lane from the middle playfield. This is another stop and go moment in the game. Embrace it through some sort of effect or rule.
Overall, it seems like the Spooky team has indicated there is a lot more to be developed. I am cautiously optimistic and am looking forward to seeing what this game morphs into.
Really good writeup/feedback and this agrees with a lot of what I've been feeling just from streams + gameplay videos. Long playing game combined with a lack of callouts is going to ruin the experience for a lot of people and is probably the main reason we've had so many negative early impressions. Excited to see what they do with the code and hope it gets deep to match the playfield.
LOTR is a long player with almost every shot delivering the ball back to the flippers, but it's still a fan favorite because of the phenomenal callouts + endless objectives to work towards; I could see UM turning out to be a similar classic for kaiju fans.
Quoted from Morinack:MACs add hidden files to a USB drive whenever it is plugged into and recognized by the MAC OS.
Anything other than a clean copy using Windows to a large enough USB drive is where issues have been seen.
I used a 32GB PNY drive today using a Windows Virtual Machine on my MAC today, and the game upgraded just fine.
Likely some workstation security issues as the user mentioned.
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.
Quoted from Rarehero:I only use a Mac for everything. I've never had an issue updating R&M.
Then the mystery continues for me. Still completely confused why one flashdrive wouldn't work and the other identical one would, but I'm just making the working one my dedicated R+M flashdrive.
Quoted from Morinack:Did this over the weekend.
Thinking if I can add it to the PF somewhere.
Last pic for scale.
[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
That turned out great, need to get mine assembled at some point. I've got a standard coming so no jet on the upper-upper playfield plastic, was thinking I'd mount it there if there's a way to do that cleanly. I'm partial to Corvairs (god knows why) so I was excited to see it included on the lower-upper playfield art, think it'll be funny to have a model in the game too.
And still no footage with the new code?? If anyone's got a UM in the Portland OR area, I could probably convince my buddy to bring his streaming gear over 
Quoted from Vino:Certainly hope things keep turning around next year. Not always the easiest to read while waiting for the pin.
Rick and Morty had a similarly rough start, and by the time I got my late-production game it was completely sorted (and it's probably my favorite modern pin). Keeping up with this thread feels a bit depressing, but my advice would be:
The Spooky Motto (resized).pngFinally had a chance to play Halloween this weekend and it put any concerns I had about my Ultraman preorder to rest. Really fun shooter, I thought the rules/modes (or at least the few I saw) were executed well with good variety and good use of the playfield(s). At a place with 200+ pins on the floor it didn't feel like anything else there. Really excited to get my Standard ...in another year or so.
Quoted from frankmac:Thoughts:
Maybe Spooky should offer a good faith deposit refund.
With a 10% refund charge for administration fees it would show good faith to customers and every one is happy.
If the Ultraman and Halloween turn out great down the road as Charlie says Spooky should have no problem selling the spots to buyers that want them and are happy with the product. Win=Win for everyone..
No company wants unhappy customers deposit money. Do they?
What do you say?
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.
edit: correct myself further down, misinformed
Quoted from Rarehero:People selling the game aren’t all flippers. People are selling the game because they don’t like it.
(Before someone insults me in a good vs. evil fit, I’m a buyer & my game is probably going to ship soon. We can have an honest conversation without defaulting to extremes.)
People are selling the game before they receive or play it, they've got weak stomachs and they're trying to minimize their losses. IDK, I see no reason for Spooky to take a big hit and end up holding the bag because a bunch of adults don't know what a 'preorder' is. Maybe next time these guys shouldn't buy a game they haven't played if they're not confident in the team behind it.
edit: correct myself further down, misinformed
Quoted from snaroff:I purchased the game without playing it because I had such a great love fest with my Rick & Morty. Didn't really occur to me that an entirely different team would be working on this game. Oh well...live and learn.
Quoted from Rarehero:We’re going in circles here - but many of us thought the team behind it was different.
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?
learn to read (resized).png
edit: correct myself further down, misinformed
K I'm gonna just own this one before someone else screencaps for me, I didn't realize this was so explicitly stated immediately before the preorders opened. That's... disappointing to see.
Eating crow at the moment.
I think Spooky may be learning the hard way why other manufacturers don't have casual conversations on Pinside.
pasted_image1 (resized).pngpasted_image2 (resized).pngReminder of what a juggernaut this license is in Japan. The new film 'Shin Ultraman' is coming out in Japan in about a month, I'm hoping for a subtitle release before my game shows up.
Quoted from lpeters82:We also for sure have one more Wizard Mode coming that will bring in some content from one of the other Ultraman series.
Getting more and more excited for my standard to show up this fall/whenever.
Quoted from Mando:Wondering if anyone decided to try and load the Halloween code on their Ultraman despite being told not to? LOL
I'm waiting for someone brave enough to try
Any savants out there actually keeping a handle on production times/delivery estimates? I'm wondering what the best guess is for my Standard (451, I believe the first UM SE?), think it should've been December-ish going off the original 18-month timeline but not sure if Spooky has been able to stick to that with shortages and everything else going on.
Have had the cash set aside for a while now, just getting really excited for this one. Debated jumping to a CE a couple times now but I really like having the cheapest versions of games I can get, I'm going to have my Rick and Morty + Ultraman, shipped to my house, for less than the MSRP on a Collector's Toy Story 4
Quoted from DakotaMike:Well, I officially backed out of my UM. So at some point CE #350 will be available for sale.
Boo. It just didn't make sense financially for me to follow-through. Yes, I'm taking a 2 thousand dollar hit on the deposit, but I'd lose more than that in value if I actually bought the game and paid the full invoice. As now CEs are worth less than 7k on the 2nd-hand market, and still falling. And the hit is even worse with shipping costs, or in gas costs to drive and do in-person pickup.
I think the game looks fun, and if I was planning on keeping it a long time, I wouldn't mind the value loss. But I only tend to keep my pins for a few months before moving them on. So residual value matters to me. Also, I was planning on putting it on route, but some of the quality/reliability issues concern me too.
Oh well, you live and you learn. Those that have or are getting the game, I hope you really enjoy it. Don't let me ruin your fun.
Speculative pinball preordering isn't for the faint of heart 
I think we've seen all 5 stages of grief here, from denial (doubling down and holding 2 pre-order spots) to final acceptance.
Just a reminder that prior to the last 2 years it was expected that you would lose money on every new in box game and, at risk of being labeled a bubble-burst conspiracy theorist, I would suspect we return to that standard after inflation cools down and MSRP's adjust. You've done great work bringing some cool + unique titles to the people of Sioux Falls but I think you'll have to get into more of an operator-mindset if you want to continue rotating games out and not losing money on them.
Quoted from TechnicalSteam:Ultraman Skate Deck - Shwack
[quoted image]
lmao that's great, looks like the design is available on shirts + stickers too. I believe this is the artist's official shop (not an officially licensed product though, obviously):
https://beastwreck.storenvy.com/products/25404861-f-u-ltraman-holographic-sticker
Quoted from blowback1976:Was just invoiced for my standard, so they must be ahead of schedule.
What number are you? I thought I was the earliest standard at 451. Getting excited over here
Edit: saw you’re 467, must be a Canadian shipment going out ahead of time? Gahhh maybe I’ll take that BSE spot off Viper after all
Just got my confirmation email for 451. The standard boys (standard men?) are coming. 
I've been itching for a new game lately, really excited to dig into something different that I haven't played to death on location yet.
https://pinside.com/pinball/market/classifieds/ad/142292
Insane deal for a butter CE... if this was driving distance from me I'd be grabbing it.
Just paid for my standard, I've only put a few games on Ultraman/Halloween in the last couple years so I'm excited to get it in the house and see how code has progressed.
Quoted from guitarded:BSE 405 arrived Monday.
Damn, 451 is still further away than I was hoping. 
Ultraman day at our house (finally!). Really enjoying it so far, nice change of pace from Rick and Morty and the code is more polished up than I was expecting. Great soundtrack that’s used well. Thanks to Spooky for making interesting games with awesome themes, can’t wait to see what else they do with the code and this fun layout.
Side note, I can’t imagine there’s too many standard UMs next to standard R+Ms out there. The broke boy special
Oh just want to note, since sometimes the negative stuff is louder than the positive, my game is playing absolutely 100% perfect out of the box. Same as my Rick and Morty, just plugged it and started jamming. Nice work from the guys in WI.
This is a first for me. Just turned on the machine and started a game, after about 30 seconds of playing I noticed smoke in the launch lane. Immediately turned the game off, opened the coin door and there’s decent amount of smoke in the cabinet. Trough coil is too hot to even get close to, looks like it was binding and just burnt itself up QUICK.
We will see if it’s still functioning, if things are melted beyond repair or what, once the game cools down and I can mess with it. Just bummed at the moment.
Is it normal for a coil to burn itself up if it binds/jams like that? I’ve seen other solenoids bind and definitely not behave like this, but I’m still new to pinball overall. Can’t believe how fast it happened and how much smoke it created.
Quoted from cooked71:Your coil sleeve will likely be trashed. Can you slide it out and replace it or is it melted in there? If you can swap that and fix the binding,, the coil itself should be fine. Not much to break in a coil.
Thanks for the heads up.
Unfortunately this isn’t looking like a simple/physical issue. I’ll shoot Spooky an email when I’m on a computer, but on the off chance someone has an idea:
- Game immediately ejects a ball on start up (never done this before), trough solenoid functions fine on this initial eject
- next ball eject, whether it’s from starting a game or from the test menu, the solenoid stays fully extended + begins heating up
- power supply fan begins running as soon as the solenoid fires (I’ve never heard the power supply fan run, prior to this)
- as soon as the cabinet is powered off, solenoid relaxes/retracts. Definitely not binding.
Wanted to type this out before I forget anything.
Is Spooky usually pretty good about responding to support emails, or am I wasting my time? Didn't hear back today, was too busy to give them a call during working hours so now I've got a broken game and no explanation until next week.
I may be missing something obvious (I have had a hard time watching the screen while I'm playing), but when you get the 2x playfield multiplier via shooting between the drop targets, how long does that last for? I know if you purchase the 2x multiplier in the store it says 30 seconds, is it the same?
Quoted from Var1AbL3:If anyone wants to give it a go there are hotwheel sized SP cars on Amazon and elsewhere online.
amazon.com link »
I'd love a Corvair with a light inside, but worth noting that that's an actual model that needs to be assembled + painted, so a bit labor intensive for a mod (if you're hoping to make more than 1). I've tried searching for better alternatives that you could just put SSSP decals on, but the fact it's a first gen and a sedan makes it tough.
Quick followup on my trough coil sticking high: AJ quickly identified it as a bad MOSFET and is going to be sending me a replacement board. Email response was basically immediate once Spooky opened on Monday (I just hadn't realized they work 4x10's). I snipped the trough coil lead during diagnostics (his instruction) and played a few games, manually loading the ball into the launch lane
This game is so rad, great companion to R+M but man it makes R+M look meager sitting next to it. Lighting on UM is absolutely insane.
Another quick follow up to my smoky / stuck trough coil:
Support identified it as a bad MOSFET (think I already said that) and sent me a replacement Pinotaur board, got here within a few business days. I’ve not replaced a big board on a modern game so I was a bit intimidated, but got it in there in a little under an hour. Minimal skill required + everything is labeled BEAUTIFULLY. Game is back to playing perfect, still a cool as hell, weird ass game. Good, good shit
Excited for the next update!
Quoted from nogoodnames222:I may be missing something obvious (I have had a hard time watching the screen while I'm playing), but when you get the 2x playfield multiplier via shooting between the drop targets, how long does that last for? I know if you purchase the 2x multiplier in the store it says 30 seconds, is it the same?
Still can't figure out how long the 2x playfield multiplier lasts, anyone know? Is it 30 seconds regardless of how you collect it?
Quoted from desertT1:When you are in a mode and then start a multiball pre-mode (anyone have a good name for this?) I am often very confused. The display is taken over by the multiball instructions which I guess is good for the health bars to be there, but I have no idea what I’m doing in the mode at that point.
Ragon mode shots are pink (they call it purple, but I’m not buying that) so maybe keep the mode shots pink. There are some modes that want you to hit other shots, but not others (no idea what the penalty is, so text for that info would be nice in an update) and currently there is a mixture of red and green. I get that from a real world perspective, but green is “lock” in pinball.
I’ve seen red and orange used for playfield multiplier and yellow, I think, on Walking dead for the inlane shot multiplier. I don’t think we need to be 100% sticking to normal colors, but a little more consistency would be less confusing.
Spacium, the right side drop target lock progress, and the center drop target playfield multiplier all being blue are a little confusing, but I like that the drop target changes to green when your lock is ready.
Yeah, it can be confusing what shots you should be prioritizing when you're stacking modes, multiball-qualifers, and multiballs themselves... I'm getting close to having every mode memorized but that shouldn't be a requirement by any means. I'm also not sure how you know if a mode is going to time out when you've got stuff stacked? Wish there was a playfield display like R+M.
I'm trying to not say too much until the code advances a bit more but it feels like there's a lot of room for improvement. As-is I'm just playing the game for mode-completion (and still really enjoying it) but it's been difficult to try and figure out any kind of strategy for decent scores.
Quoted from RussMyers:Code 9.0 Update Day: Thursday Dec 8th !!!
RM
Hell yeah!
Anyone got an Amazon link to a flash drive they've had good luck with? Took a few tries to get one that R+M was happy with, I'd like to just keep a dedicated one per game.
Quoted from applejuice:Some things I’d like to see in the next update are
- monster battling progression save
- better use of the middle playfield when head to headquarters is running
- head to headquarters sometimes clashes with a battle mode so that interaction needs improving
- more std use of rgb colours for features like eb orange, lock green, jackpot red and only using green for locks etc as others have said
- bottom drop target deeper/extra rules needed
- hold start button to restart game needed
- number of replay/extra ball levels setting needed
- ball save adjustment time needed
- display in attract of current replay/eb levels needed
Good list of what seem like realistic improvements. Coming from Rick and Morty, I was shocked at how bare-bones the settings menus are... I figured the basic programming framework (stuff like adjustable ball saves + EB limits) would transfer from game to game but I guess not.
Quoted from applejuice:Lets hope that from the code point of view the framework they have will work on both warden and pinatuar hardware and therefore the standardisation & update of base features/settings/tests/utilities/updates etc can still be included in older games as they move forward with new ones.
This was my concern too. Per rd (who seems to be working for Spooky at this point, or is at least very tight with them?) a couple posts up though:
Quoted from rotordave:The PC and everything is the same. The programming is the same.
Hopefully that means continued support of this basic stuff for a while, so I'll try to not get too worried until updates stop entirely. Game is fun as is, I'd just like to see a lot more utility + adjustability in the menus (along with other more general 'code' stuff). I just miss EP's work on Rick and Morty I guess.
Unrelated, is there anywhere you can buy replacement decals for Ultraman, or any recommendation for printing myself? I've got a standard and the only missing decal that really bugs me is the SSSP badge (it's just bare metal which I wasn't expecting). Spinner decals would be cool too but not as important for me.
Quoted from Aeolus7:Just got my Ultraman SE, and first impressions are great. No issues to note other than a very slight adjustment to the tilt bob bracket, and it shoots great out of the box. Incredible care taken with the packing and with the extra goodies packed with the game. I'm pleasantly surprised by how well the ball moves around the playfield given packed layout. It's crazy how quickly you can get in and out of the middle playfield and getting to the pretzel to progress in modes feels epic. Really enjoying the discovery phase of figuring out the modes and how all the mechs work. I'm not the best player, so I appreciate that the standups are a good distance from the flippers so a bad hit isn't an instant death sentence. I'm forgetting the mode, but hitting the roaming target is awesome.
Having a little trouble figuring out how the mystery award selection works. Each one has a cost associated it seems, and I haven't been able to select some of the rewards even though I appear to have the correct amount of points. Am I missing something?
Aside from Baltan multi-ball and modes, are there other general objectives that you like to shoot for?
Congrats on the game, I'm still really enjoying my SE too.
Some awards may not be purchasable in the store if you already "have" them, for example opening HQ, oftentimes HQ will already be open if you've got Jirah's Multiball qualified (the upper PF). The game doesn't do a good job of communicating this to you.
As far as stuff to do:
There are 3 standard multiballs in the game: Baltan (left scoops), Bemular (middle playfield scoop), and Jirah (upper playfield). I usually try to bring a mode that stacks well into these if possible. Jirah is the only multiball I seem to be able to get big points out of, if I can cash some serious upper PF jackpots.
To get into the Zetton wizard mode, you need to get a super jackpot on each of the 3 multiballs. Just learned this recently and haven't made it a goal yet, but that's not too easy
Other goal with the (standard) modes is to complete 3 of them so you can get into Pigmon, no idea if it scores well, but some of the funniest clips in the game which is reason enough to go for him. I think you need to complete 1 or 2 modes to select Dada as well, which is a lot of fun.
edit: I should add a link to the rulesheet. It's out of date and missing stuff from the last update (including anything about Zetton wizard mode), but still helps if you're trying to do something specific, like figure out Baltan super jackpots.
I’m having issues with balls getting lost in the right subway occasionally. I figured it was the opto needing adjustment, but what's odd is that when the ball search triggers, it doesn't actuate the right-side ball lift... The left ball lift will cycle as normal, and when I go into the test menu I can send the right ball lift high (ejecting the ball as normal, so it's not jamming or anything like that).
Any idea why the ball search wouldn't cycle it? or any other suggestions before I shoot Support an email? Happens maybe once every 20 games or so, but you have to stop the game when it happens so its a bummer.
Quoted from Don44:I have to go into servo test and activate right subway top. The ball is where it should be under the playing field and it showing the OCTO says it’s there. it will work 20 or more times in a row before that one time in the middle of a game
Exact same experience for me too, even down to it being the right side lift. I posted in here last week and didn’t get an answer. I already emailed Spooky support, I’ll let you know if I get an answer once they’re back from vacation.
It’s gotta be a software issue, the way it doesn’t trigger the lift on the search either. I’m surprised it’s only me and you that’s apparently run into this.
Quoted from mpdpvdpin:Fawzma is gone. The new coder has just begun.
Is Fawzma gone-gone? Is that confirmed? Because frankly that'd be the most positive news possible for my outlook on this game. I love the theme, I enjoy the layout, and I think the framework for rules/modes is all great... I constantly defend the game to anyone that tries to deride it. And then I go play it and I'm faced with game-breaking bugs, total crashes, and unpolished code all around.
I can't imagine the patience you early buyers must have to ride this out. The crashes + "show stopper" bugs didn't bother me as much when I first got the game, but now that I'm trying to actually work my way through wizard modes and stuff it can just be very frustrating when you're on a tear and suddenly get a black screen.
Quoted from guitarded:IF you can add the Dirty Pool / 2x PF Magnifier to the process, even better.
Sure would be nice to know how long that 2x PF multiplier lasts considering the impact. Am I missing that information somewhere, is it for the length of the ball or is there a timer? This is the kind of polish I'm talking about, it's tough to come up with scoring strategies for a game with no rule sheet available and very minimal information conveyed on the screen.
Quoted from Don44:Will the ball get lifted to the play field when your game went into ball search?
AJ @ Spooky confirmed that there's a bug with the ball search (see the email below). So I guess for now just ignore the fact this game (18 months after release) does not have a functioning ball search and try to identify the problematic opto.
7323CB71-7EC2-4A8D-BB12-8365B07F1EEE (resized).pngAnyone going to see Shin Ultraman on it's limited theatrical run this week? Regal's doing a 2 day event; subtitles on wednesday, dub on thursday. I've heard the film's really good, little different production quality than the original series
In other news, playing a ton of UM the last week, learned that if I don't double-flip to skip through cutscenes or try to rush the store, I don't seem to have any crashes at all. Really enjoying trying to get to the wizard mode, keep choking when I'm one shot away from qualifying it
Beyond frustrated right now. Just had the best game since I’ve owned the machine (finally made it into Zetton, very cool) and a ball gets lost in the subway. Ball search refuses to trigger the right lifter, I walked away and gave it >5 minutes because (last time) Support said it should try the right lifter “eventually” (it does not). I ended the game by taking the glass off and dropping a spare ball in the trough. Entered my initials, get back to the main menu and the game immediately spits out the ball in the right subway which points to it not being a problematic opto or lifter.
Really enjoy this game when it works, but good lord does it need the code reworked. Think I’m done playing the game until an update comes out.
Shin Ultraman was awesome, really good modern retelling of the original series that leans into the nostalgia without coming across too corny. Regal theaters are showing the dubbed version tonight... recommend anyone that owns this game see it if you can, it'll give you more appreciation for the theme if you're lukewarm on it. Otherwise it sounds like a company picked the movie up for US distribution on VOD services + bluray soon; fingers still crossed for a streaming deal.
pasted_image (resized).pngQuoted from rotordave:Exactly.
There’s a lot of revisionist history in this hobby. It’s crazy.
rd
At this point I don't care, I just want Ultraman code in a stable/playable state... but you guys seem to be ignoring what Charlie said? Guitarpinman quoted it above, but here it is in screencap form. I would personally interpret "in theory, yes" to mean "yes" but that's up to you I guess. 12 people upvoted the comment, I don't think it made any kind of impact on sales.
This release did teach me to not take casual statements made by Spooky on Pinside into consideration when thinking about purchasing a game though.
pasted_image (resized).pngQuoted from RussMyers:3. It really has been a long time since UM has seen any code updates at all, and that is really very frustrating and disappointing for us, but we are hanging in there.
It 'helps' that we'd all take a 2+ grand hit if we sold our games, not really a great option except for patience at this point.
Quoted from Izzy24:Restart a game and the ball will eventually get stuck in the scoop, only a power cycle fixes it. Why even turn the machine on.
Quoted from Don44:It shows the ball being there in stuck switch when this happens so its not the opto
Same experience here. Turned my machine on for the first time in a couple weeks recently, 2nd game I lost a ball in the right subway... didn't touch anything, went into the menus and the opto sees the ball there. I'll try realigning the optos again and see if it makes a difference, but it's frustrating to try and make hardware adjustments when you can't trust the code to function at a very basic level.
I'm wondering if we'll hit the 2 year anniversary without a functioning ball search.
Quoted from Mrg50:6 months since the last Ultraman code update, hope a new update comes soon.
That's what everyone in here hopes, but the last we heard there was gonna be another bug-squashing update for Halloween before anything comes to Ultraman, so I think we've got a looooong ways to go yet. Nothing to do but chill and play something else.
Quoted from lpeters82:That doesn't sound accurate. We've called in the Science Patrol for an assist.
[quoted image]
Hell yeah
Quoted from Var1AbL3:LoL, that makes no sense, UM is a blast to play, I turn that one on more than any of my other games these days.
I've aired my frustrations enough in here, but just want to say I do really enjoy the game when it's working and I'm looking forward to the next update (apparently coming sooner than I thought )
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!
Update looks awesome, really like the changes to the Science Patrol shot and how that’s going to tie into the future expert mode… multiball ‘lock’ 2x multiplier is really cool too. Excited for this to get released.
Quoted from lpeters82:It's a bit like a Mega Man game where there might be some strategy as to the order you want to battle the Kaiju.
I'm gonna start the "Mega Man = next spooky title" rumor now, thanks
Ran into a goofy bug, I’ll email with details but it disabled the upper-upper PF flipper during Jirah multiball making that super jackpot impossible.
Really liking the changes made in the update, and happy to see the ball search addressed (even though I haven’t had a chance to test it). Keep up the good work!
Really really like the Science Patrol MB/lock changes, and being able to feed Bemular from the center ramp helps that feel a lot less grindy when you’re starting him up. The couple flipper flaps before a lifter eject is an awesome addition too, good shit all around.
Quoted from RussMyers:That's the "Flipper Training" option in settings, right?
RM
Not sure, but that’d make sense. If so it was enabled by default.
Going through menus now and I noticed you can adjust “modes needed for Zetton”, 3-6. Does this mean Zetton is qualified by actual modes now instead of collecting a super jackpot on all 3 main multi balls? If so, that’s a big change I haven’t seen mentioned anywhere. Playing like garbage today so haven’t been able to verify
Quoted from Don44:I like the new rules and I think it’s a fun game but I still don’t really know what I’m doing after about 40 or 50 games on it.
I don't have any kind of actual scoring strategy, but when I'm playing I'm almost always trying to get to Zetton (a Super Jackpot on all 3 main multiballs), picking up modes along the way (ideally bringing them into the MBs) and hitting a Pigmon (3 modes complete? or maybe just 3 modes started? can't remember). Since the update I'm really trying to prioritize locking a Science Patrol ball before starting Baltan since he's always the toughest Super Jackpot to get, but bringing Science Patrol into any multiball will get some big points quick. I have the modes I try to bring into specific MBs, usually Gamora for Jirah, Zarab for Bemular, and Ragon for Baltan... if I hit a mode without a multiball ready I'll go for something more interesting + lucrative.
I've not put a ton of games on since the update, but I haven't had a single game breaking crash yet. I've ran into a couple bugs, but the absolute worst I've seen was a prematurely ended multiball. Massive, massive improvement from the last generation of code. Finally had a stuck ball and was able to see the right lifter go which was beautiful I know there's still stuff to be improved and everything's not sunshine + roses quite yet but this has been a very encouraging update.
Quoted from RussMyers:What do people think of these?
No one was offering ramp decals for Ultraman, so I had these made.
My kid did the graphic design, and I had them professionally printed on outdoor-grade laminated adhesive-backed vinyl.
PM me if you are interested in a set.
NOTE: these are kind of experimental; never made ramp decals before.
RussMyers
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I think these look great, but I prefer bare stainless ramps.
Any chance you want to do decals for the spinner and SSSP badge on my standard? Or do you wanna tell me where you got those printed and I could take a stab at it myself.
Quoted from jfbenson:I'm in the club! Have owned the game for about a month now and have been really enjoying it so far! I especially love the upper playfield rules. Big kudos!
I'll start with the positives. This game has some serious depth and shoots really really well. There is a fantastic mix of tough shots and easy shots and they are properly awarded point values based on that difficulty. I also enjoy how on a given ball you cannot play science center multiball more than once! Great thinking. Also, awesome idea that the skill shot allows you to immediately lock a ball for science center multiball! So much fun to go for right out of the gate.
There are some seriously detrimental bugs that I have come across while playing:
- This story covers two bugs: stuck in spacium store, service menu ends game. So I was playing and had 10 spacium so I entered the store to buy an extra ball, but when I had the extra ball selected on screen, neither the start button nor pressing both flippers would buy the item. I could still move between the various items in the store with left/right flipper buttons. So I moved to Exit Store, and once again, I could not select this option with either the start button nor by pressing both flipper buttons. This was pretty aggravating so I figured that that store would time out after a certain time period of inactivity. I waited 2 mins and I was still stuck in the spacium store. Since I was having my best game yet (110M) I figured I would try to salvage things by opening and closing the service menu. Well... this actually ENDED MY GAME. Not good!
- Bug: multiball ball save delay. This seems to be the case with every multiball in the game. The ball save for multiball does not activate immediately upon making the shot to start multiball (say the crossover). Instead, the game will wait for the display effect animation to complete before activating the ball save for multiball. This leads to some serious emotional damage if one drains while the display effect is still running (and therefore the ball save has not been activated). I have had this happen to me numerous times. If I make the shot to start a multiball, please IMMEDIATELY activate ball save and do not wait for a display effect to end. The switch should always activate the ball save and that should never be dependent upon animations.
- Bug: My game's ball kickout to shooter lane sometimes falls back into the trough. This can be a problem because I have noticed that the game will get confused and consider a ball that falls back into the ball trough to be a ball drain. Please check the logic of this and only count the ball as actually being in play once it is on the shooter lane switch for X milliseconds.
I also noticed some inconsistencies and more minor bugs:
- Inconsistency: skill shot. Many times I step up to plunge my ball and for some reason or another, the playfield has become activated. Perhaps it was a flaky switch. However, please reconsider which switches count towards the active playfield counter and maybe increase the number of switches before activating playfield.
- Scenario: I have just plunged ball two and make the science center skill shot. That ball will be held behind the science center drop target. I then immediately press and hold the start button to restart my game. The ball behind the science drop target will stay held and I will restart my game with a pretty nice advantage.
- Minor bug: I was playing a four player game and after player 4 drained their ball one and it was player 1's turn to plunge their ball 2, I tried pressing and holding the start button to restart the game, but no matter how long I held the start button, the game would not restart.
- Display bug: During attract mode, the TV console overlay stays on, but the high score text and other attract mode screens become hidden behind the overlay.
- Missing information on display: 2x scoring. Please show the status of 2x scoring SOMEWHERE. Also, when I get 2x scoring by shooting the ball between the drop targets, how long does that last?
- Inconsistency: I have had science center multiball running with a mode before and I have noticed that the 2x scoring is not always consistently applied. Perhaps there is an issue where if the upper playfield is purple (you are shooting the spinners to qualify the MB), then 2x scoring is not properly applied?
- Inconsistency: I have gone for 4x scoring before and made the science center super skill shot to lock the ball, shot down the middle drop and then shot between the two outer drops to activate 2x scoring, then quickly started a mode and then shot the science center to begin science center multiball, but it seems that I wasn't able to get a 4x scoring stack! That would be really fun to go for!
- Missing info: Jackpot/Super Jackpot score values! How many points am I scoring?? This is making it very hard for me to develop a strategy because I need to wait until the display goes back to showing my score to try and figure out how valuable something is.
Questions:
- I have been wondering how to start the mode that requires you to make a super skill shot. I have tried selecting it after making a super skill shot and it doesn't seem to be allowing me to start the mode. How do I start that one?
- How exactly is Dada qualified to be started?
Nice to have fresh blood in here that's excited about the game.
I fully agree that it's difficult to come up with a scoring strategy without some more info being shown on the display (or official rules posted somewhere with more information). I'd love to see more jackpot values on the screen. And I've been asking how long the 2x scoring last (when earned via center-drop-snipe) since I got the game ~6 months ago; no one seems to know I think I need to just take the glass off and figure it out, if it's 30 seconds I need to be more strategic with it, and if it's longer I should really be prioritizing that more than I do.
Lots of good bug catches + input in this comment, hope someone from Spooky takes a look at it. You should definitely email the bugs to them directly to make sure they're caught, too.
Quoted from m4tt:- How long does the "Eye of the Needle" shot through the middle of the drop targets 2x last for? 30 seconds. There's a cool new multiplier display coming.
Thanks! Excited for the next update.
Quoted from V8haha:If anyone is looking for an Ultraman CE i have one for sale asking $5,999
This is the last spooky i buy the resale value is brutal lose close to 50% in 8 months ouch haha.
Yeah, curious what I can even get for my standard 
Was waiting to give the code a chance to mature but not sure I have the patience.
Quoted from jwilson:If only they could get jeweled inserts. After replacing UM with Foo I realized that’s why I think Spooky games feel so homebrew.
I've heard this before and don't necessarily disagree, but I like the Spooky style printed-over inserts... it makes the playfield lightshows feel very cohesive + 'glowy'? IDK how to best describe it, but I think some of the lighting effects on this title + Rick & Morty benefit from the insert style. Definitely gives Spooky titles their own look too.
Quoted from treyspaghetti:Maybe it's an update to an update to an update so all the waiting was worth it.
the real update is the friends we made along the way
Quoted from Tranquilize:Hopefully it's big. I'm still one or two codes back I think. Maybe I'll update it and play it for this one...
I hadn’t been playing much pinball over the summer but finally threw the latest code on, really recommend it. Neronga (the new mode) is more thought out and interesting (and fun) than anything else in the game, short of the wizard mode. If you still have the game in your lineup you owe it to yourself to get the newest code on, the new team are good at this.
FWIW - I requested a replacement LED strip from Spooky and received one with the plug wires already attached, ready to go. Took ~10 minutes to install. Curiously it was 2 LED's shorter than the original strip it replaced, I'm guessing it was an intentional choice to keep the last two out of harms way/help with cable management? They did also send me a new 'generic' strip but I didn't need to use that.
I haven't made it to Zetton a single time since Neronga was added to the game. My focus on getting multiball superjackpots is gone completely, replaced with a Neronga obsession. Really excited to see what else the guys behind that cook up.
That being said, any update on the update? Has the Halloween update gone over well or is there clean up work needed?
Quoted from blowback1976:Amazing prices on NIB at Nitro if anyone is looking.
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Ouch. 11 CE's in stock + 1 BSE left, hopefully they sell quick and don't sit around at those prices.
Quoted from rotordave:If you haven’t played it for a while, the code has developed and the balls come up a lot faster now. Basically as soon as they hit the optos.
Ahhh, so that wasn’t just in my head! The last couple code updates really made a big difference on this game, genuine improvements to the gameplay on top of the new content and so many fixes. I just want more
Quoted from Tranquilize:Finally updated two updates and played. Flame me all you want, but it's a hot mess. New mode comes with audio instruction booklet. Feels like fetch questing design in video games. The store should be completely removed - this is the biggest waste of time on the machine, and the implementation of collecting spacium and the timing to spend it is poorly done. It's a great effort, but it's never going to be a cohesive machine. Bummer.
Is Halloween the same?
Man, hard disagree on Neronga, but you're entitled to your opinion.
I do agree on the store feeling like a waste of time + a mood killer though. If there was an option to remove spacium/the store in the settings menu, I would immediately disable it... I don't think the standups need to serve any further purpose than the modes + Baltan qualifier.
Running the beta code now The cool blood/spacium playfield-multiplier system made it over from Halloween with some tweaks, really adds a lot more importance to those shots… I’m draining like crazy chasing standups which I never did before. Giant Fuji hurry up shot is sweet. Noticing lots of little tweaks here and there, new callouts and video clips. Good stuff! Nice work everyone and good stream Bug.
My scores have gone down as code has advanced; I'm not sure if actual scoring has been neutered or if it's because I'm focusing on fun objectives and not just crushing super jackpots all day.
One thing I did recently was swap on some silicone rubbers I had laying around... I'm very much a standard-rubber guy, but with this game having so many tight shots and the steep center ramp etc, being able to slow the ball down quicker really made it more fun for me, because there's a lot less missed shots + rejects. Think I'm going to throw lightning flippers on it next to balance out the increased ball time from the silicone
On that note (and knowing fully well this is a bad use of programming time since I'm maybe the only masochist in here that'd enjoy it), I think this would be a fun game to have a "no cradling" mode/setting, like the "Impossible Mode" in Stern's Mandalorian. It'd make chasing the Super Jackpots in Jirahs + Bemular way tougher (I find those two quite a bit easier than Baltan, maybe that's just me) and would add to the fun of chasing down Zetton.
Quoted from lpeters82:I'm working on it right now. Trying to cram in as many new kaiju into this wizard mode as possible.
Love to hear it 
Thanks for the quick reply.
Quoted from stf_dnx:While checking the Spooky for announcement today, I spot this picture:
Is it me or is it an UM with the HWN code?
[quoted image]
That's absolutely HWN code on an UM. In the past they have explicitly said something like "NO! Only *employee name*'s copy of the game has the ability to run swapped code without bricking". So the question is, are they covering their (legal) asses, or is there actually some safeguard in place to prevent code swapping? I'd believe either; someone brave needs to just try it and report back.
Quoted from lpeters82:We expected that to be posted quite a bit more quickly. There are three games in the world with that ability: 1) Ultraman (code beast) at Spooky Pinball 2) Halloween (code beast) at my house 3) Ultraman (code beast #2) with Matt Kemp. To answer the question posted below. Yes, there is a safeguard in place that prevents the code from being swapped, thus preventing us from getting sued by either of the licensors.
...okay, okay. I'll believe it.
LD.gifBeta-code day 
Going off previous release schedule I would expect the official update to drop within the week, barring any major issues in the beta. Excited to get this loaded after work today, just watched Godzilla Minus One/Minus Color last night and Shin Kamen Rider last weekend, I'm in a kaiju/tokusatsu mood.
New update has been all good for me so far. I haven't played the wizard mode yet as I like earning them, but the UI updates + small tweaks make the game feel a lot more polished. I didn't catch any screen tearing (HUGE improvement, that's been a pet peeve of mine), aspect ratio issues are corrected, idk if it's just in my head but things just seem to be running smoother... no big delay/cpu "thinking" when I fall into the store now. Just some really good work on top of the additional content, nice job Matt + team.
Quoted from MongolianMisfit:Did you all figure out the vsync/screen tearing issue as well?
In the (beta) update notes, Matt says: "video screen tearing should be reduced" so there may be some issues left (or maybe he's just being cautious and doesn't want to say "FIXED" entirely)... but in my couple hours of playing the new code, I don't think I've noticed a single instance of tearing. Huge improvement as I was constantly seeing it before, even on text overlays/simple graphics.
Anyone know (or can any Spooky guys chime in), could I add RGB speaker lights to my standard UM, is the hardware for sale anywhere?
Quoted from wastedthelight:Am I the only one who hasn't taken it off Ultra Brothers since the latest release? Ha. I just really enjoy the mode and play it several times almost daily. But we won't talk about how I still haven't completed it, ugh. Sad, I know.
Ultra Brothers almost feels like a different game because of the new assets, animation style, etc... it's got it's own flavor. It's like when a videogame's DLC ends up being a standalone release (like Red Dead Redemption getting the Undead expansion), except it was free. Between this and Rick and Morty's choose-your-own-adventure mode, it's been very cool to see Spooky + the programming teams behind these games support the titles years after release with big value-adding updates like this.
It's tough for others to say if you should buy a pin or not. Ultraman/Halloween is a very polarizing layout, and the Ultraman theme is as niche as it gets for pinball which has undoubtedly hurt the value (Halloween regularly selling for 2-3k more than UM speaks to this). I would absolutely not recommend buying it without playing one (or a Halloween) first, but I say that about every game.
All of Tranq's gripes (above) are valid, to some degree anyway. The ramps feel more like a pinball falling down stairs than the smooth butter you'd hope for. Scoop rejects can make you lose your mind, but I just shoot the right ramp and let the ball fall in from that path instead. I haven't had any issues with the lifter mechs or the flasher, but you do have to fix Spooky's questionable choices occasionally (exposed LED strips, plastic-geared servos, etc).
I've had a lot of fun with mine since the code was taken over by the new guys, and I'm glad I didn't dump it during the Fawzma-code days. I love the theme, the game's gorgeous, and there's nowhere else to play it in my (very pinball-rich) city, so it's sticking around a while despite me being limited on space too. The game is unique and probably the one in my collection that casuals are most drawn to. And great light shows, though that's kinda taken for granted on Spooky games now.
Quoted from Gunner007:Baltan not spinning.
2 of three are dead. Just replace the servo I guess?
Yes, if they're not moving, most likely you need to replace servos (you can reseat connections first but I wouldn't bother troubleshooting past that). The moving Baltans are such a fun addition to the game, it's a shame to not have them working.
Metal-gear'd replacements:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0874JS7BX/
Key-post showing with some helpful advice:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/ultraman-kaiju-rumble-owners/page/66#post-7235961
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