Quoted from PoMC:

Iron maiden is back in the house again on temporary trade with a friend. Last time I had it, the code was 1.06 I’m spending some time while working today getting the 1.10 code updated.
First mandate from my wife is to change the iron maiden songs or at least replace them with the instrumental versions like I did last time. Lol
She cannot stand Bruce’s voice and just playing the game in the same room as her makes her angry, ha ha.
I told her to come up with some songs or ban she wants me to use, so now I am going through anthrax, slayer and Pantera songs, among others to find replacements.
I’m also importing the prior attract mode videos I made and have since found some new iron maiden clips that will be perfect for the attract mode sequences. Really looks bad ass in attract mode now instead of seeing flipper tutorials.

Quoted from Alaskanzen:

Has anyone noticed a difference when changing to a higher pitch. Following feedback where I had heard Keith Elwin recommended a 7% pitch for the game, I bumped mine up from 6.5 ish. I have a small sample size but I've noticed the game seems to flow better and generally play better. Has anyone else noticed a difference in adjusting pitch?

Quoted from Alaskanzen:

Has anyone noticed a difference when changing to a higher pitch. Following feedback where I had heard Keith Elwin recommended a 7% pitch for the game, I bumped mine up from 6.5 ish. I have a small sample size but I've noticed the game seems to flow better and generally play better. Has anyone else noticed a difference in adjusting pitch?

Quoted from craif:

The height of the outlane dividers relative to the highest point on the slings changes and it interacts with pitch considerably. Some are higher, some lower and some dead even to different extremes.
Maiden has one of the lowest if not the lowest of modern sterns. I haven't measured them all but at a glance I suspect all of Elwin's designs are low compared to the average across all modern Sterns. There's an interview with him somewhere long before he worked for Stern where he lambasted what he considered far too easy outlanes. For a clear contrast compare it to a Mando which extends noticeably higher than the sling.
Low divider + Floaty = Brutal because balls that are traveling horizontally just above or rolling over the sling already have the clearance for the divider where a higher divider would have blocked it and are likely to go straight into the wall and down the outlane, upward nudges have to be more forceful to close the distance and balls bobbling at the top of the inlane have a tendency to bounce off the back of the sling tip and roll over the divider where a higher divider

Quoted from craif:

Yes.
Every pin varies with pitch. 6.5 is stern boilerplate. When the designer recommends a particular pitch or other adjustment it means the game plays how they think it should play. Other pitches change the angles and the difficulty to hit or chain different shots can increase or decrease. In extreme cases it can make things like shots that cross the playfield from one guide to another like the crisscross from the shooter to the outer loop not quite line up right.
Best is what you prefer. I keep mine around 6.8/6.9.
Generally:
Shallower = Vertical descent is slower. Horizontal movement is more pronounced or "Floaty." Shots that aren't quite perfect tend to have an easier time scoring instead of bricking, but the extra horizontal movement decreases your own shooting accuracy.
Steeper = Vertical descent is faster. Horizontal movement is less pronounced. Shots tend to need a little more power/accuracy to clear ramps but its also a little easier to shoot with that level precision.
The height of the outlane dividers relative to the highest point on the slings changes and it interacts with pitch considerably. Some are higher, some lower and some dead even to different extremes.
Maiden has one of the lowest if not the lowest of modern sterns. I haven't measured them all but at a glance I suspect all of Elwin's designs are low compared to the average across all modern Sterns. There's an interview with him somewhere long before he worked for Stern where he lambasted what he considered far too easy outlanes. For a clear contrast compare it to a Mando which extends noticeably higher than the sling.
Low divider + Floaty = Brutal because balls that are traveling horizontally just above or rolling over the sling already have the clearance for the divider where a higher divider would have blocked it and are likely to go straight into the wall and down the outlane, upward nudges have to be more forceful to close the distance and balls bobbling at the top of the inlane have a tendency to bounce off the back of the sling tip and roll over the divider where a higher divider

Quoted from Anony:

Great post... I never considered how less pitch means more horizontal movement. I get tons of brutal drains on my machine so maybe I should try making it a bit steeper.
I got to play a ghostbusters at a bar recently and having double inlanes felt so easy. It's a nice change of pace but it sure made me appreciate how much of a skill game Maiden is. The outlanes are just so brutal, everyone who comes over and plays it curses constantly at the "cheap" drains

Quoted from Jediturtle:

Yeah, it's a dirty little secret that in general, shallower games are harder. Everyone jacks up their pitch to make them "fast and brutal". LOL No...you just made your game easier to trap up and reduced the side-to-side sling action.
That said...I do prefer most of my games to be a little steeper...usually in the 6.8 or so range, but that varies depending on the game. They each seem to have a sweet spot where they just feel right. I hate a floaty game, but I also hate when a game doesn't flow right or I can't make a backhand that should work, etc. It usually takes some experimenting to find that Goldilocks "just right".

Quoted from Da-Shaker:

It’s nice when you can start with level floors.

Quoted from BubbaPin:

Put a set of pinsound speakers and subs in the maiden, not really sold on it. Can't say I like them. Will be testing more though.

Quoted from BubbaPin:

Put a set of pinsound speakers and subs in the maiden, not really sold on it. Can't say I like them. Will be testing more though.

Quoted from ZodiacMunch:

FWIW, I just got pinmonk flipper fans because I was sick of getting close to RTTH and dealing the flippers getting a lot weaker. It got noticeable usually before starting Number of the Beast for me, and unless you have all your level 2 Eddie cards already, failing the beast is a big deal in terms of your RTTH chances. Hopefully this means I will successfully get to RTTH soon, but we will see

Quoted from ZodiacMunch:

To anyone that is on the fence about getting Pinmonk flipper fans, I’m happy to report that it absolutely makes a noticeable difference for those long runs where the right ramp and the right flipper pharaoh shot start getting difficult.
[quoted image]
[quoted image]
I’d like to say I handled getting to RTTH with a quiet dignity, but really my son and I were jumping up and down screaming like banshees. The last couple right orbit shots were pretty nerve-racking. Weirdly enough this was without a successful 6-way combo.
Thanks PinMonk

Quoted from ZodiacMunch:

To anyone that is on the fence about getting Pinmonk flipper fans, I’m happy to report that it absolutely makes a noticeable difference for those long runs where the right ramp and the right flipper pharaoh shot start getting difficult.
[quoted image]
[quoted image]
I’d like to say I handled getting to RTTH with a quiet dignity, but really my son and I were jumping up and down screaming like banshees. The last couple right orbit shots were pretty nerve-racking. Weirdly enough this was without a successful 6-way combo.
Thanks PinMonk

Quoted from ZodiacMunch:

To anyone that is on the fence about getting Pinmonk flipper fans, I’m happy to report that it absolutely makes a noticeable difference for those long runs where the right ramp and the right flipper pharaoh shot start getting difficult.

Quoted from Tranquilize:

I have no issues making the ramps after playing for over an hour...

Quoted from Biju:

Is this a 4-flipper fan set or just the bottom two? I'm not sure if having the upper two cooled is necessary but I'd be willing to take this more on advisement than my own intuition.

Quoted from Tranquilize:

I have no issues making the ramps after playing for over an hour...

Quoted from ZodiacMunch:

Only the bottom 2. I don't think I really notice any problems with the upper 2.

Quoted from OSUBuckeye98:

Newer games started coming with that installed, I recall some people getting new protectors from Stern when theirs started lifting up. I put Cliffy’s carbon fiber protector in when mine started coming up and have not had a single problem since.

Quoted from manadams:

I saw that Cliffy had one as part of a $109 kit, just need that specific protector without forking out that much.

Quoted from craif:

I have the full kit but did you ask him if he'll sell it individually? I don't know but his ordering process is "Send him an email" and every time I've ordered something from him he responded in under an hour.

Quoted from manadams:

Has anyone been able to get one of these kits from Stern recently for under the ramp target/upper loop? Didn't even know it existed until recently and my game only has mylar down in that area.[quoted image]

Quoted from STVPIN:

Mine minted in Dec 2021 came with this metal protector. It really takes a beating and didn't last long. Definitely better than nothing, I'd do it for sure if it was the only option. Cliffy's carbon fiber protector is there now, so far it looks like it's going to be a better protector.
I tried to get a good image showing the bends, you can almost see it. Somewhat like a "crease" down the middle from the repeated blows, it not only lifted up on the ends so the ball would get stuck or disrupted by it, but it lifted up all the way down the length of the sides also, like a taco shell. I had to remove it after about 600 plays.[quoted image]

Quoted from Anony:

I'm pretty sure Cliffy makes each order as it comes in, mine had a 4 week lead time since he said he's swamped with orders. I wouldn't be surprised if he could sell you the carbon fiber part alone. The other protectors seem less useful for this machine, although the shooter lane is always a good one to have too I think.

Quoted from craif:

The damage that the switch protectors are designed to protect from does seem much rarer these days. I left those off when I installed the rest of the kit but I'm sure someone got unlucky somewhere.

Quoted from Mancave:

Did you attach the protector that sits beside the drop targets? I've been thinking about removing mine as i've found that any slight hit to the middle target can make the ball sit in between the upper and lower target and gets stuck on the edge of the protector. Only way to get it unstuck is to shake the crap outta the machine usually

Quoted from STVPIN:

Mine minted in Dec 2021 came with this metal protector. It really takes a beating and didn't last long. Definitely better than nothing, I'd do it for sure if it was the only option. Cliffy's carbon fiber protector is there now, so far it looks like it's going to be a better protector.
I tried to get a good image showing the bends, you can almost see it. Somewhat like a "crease" down the middle from the repeated blows, it not only lifted up on the ends so the ball would get stuck or disrupted by it, but it lifted up all the way down the length of the sides also, like a taco shell. I had to remove it after about 600 plays.[quoted image]

Quoted from Jarbyjibbo:

I'm not connecting where this goes. Anyone have a photo of it installed on the game?

Quoted from craif:

It happens once in a blue moon but I've had that happen on maiden's without cliffy's as well. I can get it out with light smack to the right side of the machine. The one week it was worse than that I realized I was overdue to level the machine and once I fixed the right lean it went away.

Quoted from Jarbyjibbo:

I'm not connecting where this goes. Anyone have a photo of it installed on the game?

Quoted from craif:

I could have sworn I posted one at some point back then but I can't find it now.

Quoted from STVPIN:

Mine minted in Dec 2021 came with this metal protector. It really takes a beating and didn't last long. Definitely better than nothing, I'd do it for sure if it was the only option. Cliffy's carbon fiber protector is there now, so far it looks like it's going to be a better protector.
I tried to get a good image showing the bends, you can almost see it. Somewhat like a "crease" down the middle from the repeated blows, it not only lifted up on the ends so the ball would get stuck or disrupted by it, but it lifted up all the way down the length of the sides also, like a taco shell. I had to remove it after about 600 plays.[quoted image]

Quoted from Ceemunkey:

Has anyone powder coated their premium?
But looking at the colour scheme of the premium, what would be a nice match?

Quoted from Mancave:

Did you attach the protector that sits beside the drop targets? I've been thinking about removing mine as i've found that any slight hit to the middle target can make the ball sit in between the upper and lower targets and gets stuck on the edge of the protector. Only way to get it unstuck is to shake the crap outta the machine usually

Quoted from STVPIN:

Wondering if you installed the protector on the left or the right side of the hole. I think it's supposed to be "behind" the drop targets, on the right side of the hole

Quoted from STVPIN:

Wondering if you installed the protector on the left or the right side of the hole. I think it's supposed to be "behind" the drop targets, on the right side of the hole.
That being said, I also have the ball rest there if the top two drop targets are down, quite often actually. The ball rests on "top" of the third drop target. I can give the rig a bump to dislodge it but I usually take that opportunity to breathe for a few seconds and wait for the "ball search" routine pop the targets up to send the ball out. [quoted image]

Quoted from Mancave:

Quoted from STVPIN:

Wondering if you installed the protector on the left or the right side of the hole. I think it's supposed to be "behind" the drop targets, on the right side of the hole

Yeah mine is on the outside of the drop targets, thought that was the place it was supposed to be? Anyone else got this protector and where do you have it?