Is this it for Farsight / Pinball Arcade?

[Plungemaster]

So let me get this straight. You want say AC/DC and Star Trek, but not the other 4 tables in the pack. The pack costs $20. Individually, the two you want cost $10 each. Unless you are personally offended with seeing those 4 you don't want, I don't get what the issue is. They're doing you a favor here!

I have star trek and ac dc le.

But i read your reply, and thought, lets check it again. And now i can buy all pins individualy, just like i want.

I think they changed that on Switch, cause i am pretty sure i could not buy Ripley as stand alone.

Now there are 2 options.

1. They changed it
2. I was wrong and it was always this way.

To be fair... start to doubt my own memory now haha!

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EDIT!!!

I know what went wrong. It is in the normal PA game on Switch i can only buy packs.

I would like to have all Stern and gotlieb tables in 1 PA app/game. But only the ones i like. Impossible atm.

Sorry, should have been clearer what i meant.

So what i would like is being able to buy Stern tables one by one in the normal PA game.

 

[Sean]

I really hope we see some more classic Sterns. Flight 2000 is a great table. At the UK Pinfest I got to play Sea Witch and that really needs to be in TPA. The loss of the WMS license bites, but they have access to some great machines with the licenses they do have so here’s hoping they don’t just focus on the display-enabled machines.

 

[Blkthorne]

I really hope we see some more classic Sterns. Flight 2000 is a great table. At the UK Pinfest I got to play Sea Witch and that really needs to be in TPA. The loss of the WMS license bites, but they have access to some great machines with the licenses they do have so here’s hoping they don’t just focus on the display-enabled machines.

To this day, that is one of the most disappointing things for me about TPA, not having more Stern Electronics' tables like Quicksilver, Seawitch, Star Gazer, Catacomb, Stingray, Nine Ball, Stars, Big Game, Meteor, Galaxy, Dracula, Cheetah, Magic and Hot Hand among others still not in TPA. Can remember asking Mike Lindsley during one Twitch stream about those showing up in TPA and he said that Stern would have no problem with bringing those onboard if they asked, yet they never transferred Flight 2000 to SPA at that time???? So I'm not certain he even knew that the current Stern and Stern Electronics were separate properties and now with the current schedule, it looks less and less likely to see these tables ever showing up with Farsight focusing on current Stern and Premier Gottlieb.

 

[Jeff Strong]

I really hope we see some more classic Sterns. Flight 2000 is a great table. At the UK Pinfest I got to play Sea Witch and that really needs to be in TPA. The loss of the WMS license bites, but they have access to some great machines with the licenses they do have so here’s hoping they don’t just focus on the display-enabled machines.

To this day, that is one of the most disappointing things for me about TPA, not having more Stern Electronics' tables like Quicksilver, Seawitch, Star Gazer, Catacomb, Stingray, Nine Ball, Stars, Big Game, Meteor, Galaxy, Dracula, Cheetah, Magic and Hot Hand among others still not in TPA. Can remember asking Mike Lindsley during one Twitch stream about those showing up in TPA and he said that Stern would have no problem with bringing those onboard if they asked, yet they never transferred Flight 2000 to SPA at that time???? So I'm not certain he even knew that the current Stern and Stern Electronics were separate properties and now with the current schedule, it looks less and less likely to see these tables ever showing up with Farsight focusing on current Stern and Premier Gottlieb.

Seems like a huge missed opportunity.

Also Seawitch kicks all kinds of ass, as well as the others you mentioned.

 

[David Pannozzo]

Speaking of Gottlieb/Premier, Surf N Safari, and the great Water World. I got to play Water World a week ago, it really is a lot of fun, lots to do. I didn’t realize how fun the game is, the guy Their was trying to teach me all the things that are on the game. I was lost but had lots of fun with it, if you haven’t played it, trust me play it, the man said Stargate and Waterworld are his favorite Gottlieb/Premier Games, here’s a not to great video of Waterworld. https://youtu.be/c5R1yWfQxWM

 

[Gorgias32]

There must be something strange with the Flight 2000 license - I mean, it's the only Stern Electronics game in all of TPA (unless I am mistaken), and it was clearly deliberately left out of SPA. Maybe Stern Electronics rights are shared with some entity outside of Stern, who are blocking it or making it not make financial sense?

 

[EldarOfSuburbia]

Stern Electronics (previously Chicago Coin) is dead, I don't think anyone ever bought it up, unless Gary Stern did so and nobody noticed? When Gary Stern started up Data East (which became Sega which became Stern Pinball) he did so as a totally new enterprise. The only connection between the two I can think of, is that Gary used to work at Stern Electronics (which was started up by his dad, Sam).

 

[Gorgias32]

That's really good to know. Sounds like an opportunity for Farsight to secure another license that has a lot of good tables - whoever holds this one might be more willing to sell the rights.

There's definitely a market for a platform that has modern Sterns, Data Easts, combined with Gottlieb EMs and Stern Electronics' SS games.

 

[Citizen]

Some clarifications:

Stern Electronics (previously Chicago Coin)

Seperate companies. The Stern family created Stern Electronics as a new company. Then they purchased CC's assets after CC declared bankruptcy. This allowed them to avoid taking on CC's debt, which they would have if SE had been a direct continuation of CC. But SE was never actually CC.

I don't think anyone ever bought it up, unless Gary Stern did so and nobody noticed?

Data East purchased SE's pinball division/assets in 1985.

When Gary Stern started up Data East (which became Sega which became Stern Pinball) he did so as a totally new enterprise.

See above. The Japanese company Data East created the Data East Pinball division by purchasing the SE pinball assets. They brought Gary Stern along for the ride as president because he had been president of SE, and because DE Pinball was a US division of DE. Then the DE pinball assets were sold to Sega to create the Sega Pinball division (and again Gary went along as president), then finally Sega sold its pinball assets to Gary and he made Stern Pinball, Inc.

So while CC, SE, DE, Sega and SP were all seperate companies, there was a direct chain of pinball assets being transferred from one to the next from CC all the way to SP. Stern should own all CC, SE, DE and Sega pinball titles (not sure about Pinstar).

 

[Gorgar]

My theory about the lack of SE titles is that Flight 2000 didn’t sell well because they packaged it with Goin Nuts. I remember when it first came out, a lot of people were like “I’m not buying that.” They really should have released another SE table or two to break up their Premier Gottlieb periods.

 

[Tripredacus]

Seperate companies. The Stern family created Stern Electronics as a new company. Then they purchased CC's assets after CC declared bankruptcy. This allowed them to avoid taking on CC's debt, which they would have if SE had been a direct continuation of CC. But SE was never actually CC.

This is exactly the model that retail furniture stores use when they constantly go out of business, then get purchased by "another company" and then just open another furniture store in the same place with the same staff.

 

[shutyertrap]

This is exactly the model that retail furniture stores use when they constantly go out of business, then get purchased by "another company" and then just open another furniture store in the same place with the same staff.

and then immediately put up a banner saying "everything must go! Going out of business sale!" I'm not kidding when I literally saw a furniture store do that. Piano stores are almost as bad with this sales tactic.

 

[wolfson]

everyone has said it before , the Gottlieb EMs , same the early Sterns from 1970 to 1985 plus the modern sterns , there are s... loads of these tables . TPA could do a season of these with 10-12 tables .

 

[dmil666]

My theory about the lack of SE titles is that Flight 2000 didn’t sell well because they packaged it with Goin Nuts. I remember when it first came out, a lot of people were like “I’m not buying that.” They really should have released another SE table or two to break up their Premier Gottlieb periods.

Wow, I was unaware of that (I've only had TPA since April '18). What a rotten thing to happen to Flight 2000 which is a very fun table, and SE in general. Goin Nuts was a failed experiment when it was first made and the passage of time didn't help it.

 

[Gorgias32]

Flight 2000 is really good, and there aren't that many SS games of that era in TPA. It is actually pretty well done, too, although it's a bit faster than in real life - it has interesting rules, interesting geometry and lots to do. I keep expecting it to show up in an SPA pack. Maybe they can bundle it with a couple of new creations of Bally SS tables...

 

[Sean]

One of the nice things about this forum is the folk who know the history of these companies.

So it sounds like we could see more of these classic machines from Gottlieb and Stern Electronics if Farsight so desires. I have to think that they took a back seat to the perception that the higher profile Bally-Midway and Williams SS tables would be better sellers. Now that they don’t have those licenses it would be nice to think they’ll make do with what they have and not just focus on the tables with additional licenses attached. I’m sure they could still cop ten bucks a pack for three relatively unknown classics if that’s the bundle price they’re aiming for now.

 

[Rayder]

I actually prefer older pins to some of the newer ones myself. For whatever reason, I especially liked tables that had that kind of crazy sound, like Gorgar, Centaur, Sorcerer, etc. You know, tables that a non-gamer would consider sounding garish or insane and downright annoying. And then there's the ones that I guess are called EM's, but I call them the old ding-ding tables where all the sound is just various bell sounds. And ones with lots of drop targets.....love going for the drop targets. Older tables just have a certain charm to them that newer ones tend to lack, IMO.

 

[Kolchak357]

I’ve made tons of posts over the years list my favorite Gottlieb EMs and my most wanted classic Stern Electronics pins. In the past FarSight seems to have very little interest in recreating these pins. Maybe those style games don’t sell as well, or maybe they just thought they could release a “better” pin. Sean, you pose a very good question, will this attitude change now that there is no longer the Bally/Williams crutch to lean on? I sure hope so. I almost think it has to.
And I’d be thrilled to have a three pack of Gottlieb EMs and classic Stern pins.

 

[BostonBuckeye]

I’ve made tons of posts over the years list my favorite Gottlieb EMs and my most wanted classic Stern Electronics pins. In the past FarSight seems to have very little interest in recreating these pins. Maybe those style games don’t sell as well, or maybe they just thought they could release a “better” pin. Sean, you pose a very good question, will this attitude change now that there is no longer the Bally/Williams crutch to lean on? I sure hope so. I almost think it has to.
And I be thrilled to have a three pack of Gottlieb EMs and classic Stern pins.

Kolchak, I agree 100%. Bring on the Gottlieb EMs and classic Stern Electronics. Make us old fogies happy. We are the ones with the money.

 

[Jeff Strong]

There’s a reason why Big Shot is one of the most-played pins in TPA of all time. Simple, yet addicting. Give us more EMs!