Just picked up Houdini, my first AP game.

It’s been posted many times, but build quality is second to none. They use some COTS parts vs. Stern’s in-house designs and boards. Takes some tweaking, but once dialed in, they play great.

Art is subjective, but I think a common complaint with AP games is the layout, theme and animations. Code is phenomenal with all three games.

If AP had a traditional (fan) layout with a new designer combined with their build quality, I think they’d be in great shape. Theme and animations would be icing on the cake.

Back on topic, I think AP could benefit from a new, younger designer with an interesting story. The biggest buzz over the past few releases has come from Scott Danesi and Keith Elwin, two young designers with a compelling background.

Scott designed a game in his garage and carted it to shows. Keith is a top ranked player who brought a fresh design take with high energy, kinetic flow.

Much of pinball works when you have someone to root for. I think that's where Spooky (Charlie, Scott), Stern (Keith) and JJP (Eric, Slash) have succeeded and Deep Root (JPop) failed. AP could use a new designer to bring back the buzz.

I enjoy games where every shot is rewarded. EHOH and IMDN are like that. Even if I miss, I build towards something.

Houdini is like that, too. There are tons of modes, movies, missions, jail escapes, multiballs, magic shop stuff, etc. to shoot. I have zero complaints with code, and I enjoy the animations as well.

Oktoberfest seems to be cut from the same cloth, and it’s on my wishlist after owning Houdini. I’m pretty sure I’ll have one soon. Build quality is great, code is great, and the team accepts criticisms with an open mind.

As I mentioned previously, I think the team could benefit from a more traditional layout from a new designer, but code-wise, you guys are crushing it.

Damn quarantine means I haven’t really played anything new. The only way I’m able to try stuff is to purchase.

The Hot Wheels theme would keep me from owning, but I’d definitely drop some quarters. Oktoberfest, on the other hand, has the theme, layout and code to land in my game room. I was able to play at TPF before the world went to shit, but it’s come a long way. Kudos to you guys for all the hard work.

Great move. Not the ‘young, hungry’ designer I expected, but an excellent hire nonetheless. Nordman designs are fantastic.

The innovation with EHOH is with the code. The layout is familiar but also deceptively simple. There are physical ball locks all over the place and the haunted house is on par with the MM castle. Everything just came together perfectly.

Nordman knows how to put together a design, and listening to the podcast, he’s there to mentor and guide some younger designers. What I like about AP is they acknowledge missteps and accept constructive criticism. Hopefully the next few games will be huge for them.