Zen & Stern collaboration teaser?

[Citizen]

It would... but it seems only Pinball Magic, Flipper Football and Breakshot are likely candidates. But I like all of those, so bring 'em on.

Do you say that due to the themes of BBB and Kingpin or due to licensing issues caused by the remakes?

Don't forget Airborne. It's not as good as any of the other Capcom tables (except Flipper Football), but it's still fun.

 

[trash80]

Do you say that due to the themes of BBB and Kingpin or due to licensing issues caused by the remakes?

Don't forget Airborne. It's not as good as any of the other Capcom tables (except Flipper Football), but it's still fun.

This is based on what they have readily available to them. I suppose they could buy/borrow the other tables, but they are very difficult to come by in that part of the world.

 

[shutyertrap]

There’s only 110 BBB in existence, right? I know where at least 3 are here in California! Only 8 or 10 Kingpin were ever made, and one of the guys I know with BBB has that too. Should inquire about what Capcom are at the Budapest Museum.

 

[Citizen]

Oh yeah, the scarcity issue. Completely spaced on that.

 

[switch3flip]

Maybe there could be a possibility to team up with the company making the remake of kingpin?

https://www.thisweekinpinball.com/e...veaway-of-signed-translite-from-mark-ritchie/

 

[GAH1068]

Very exciting news. My only concern is Stern's stance of no cabinet mode views. That would make them a non starter for me which would be sad.

 

[Nomorestalker]

Very exciting news. My only concern is Stern's stance of no cabinet mode views. That would make them a non starter for me which would be sad.

THIS 1000% THIS. Zen has to come through on this or picking up Stern pointless(for me and cab users). Unless Noex works his magic, but again we're speculation on a hunch.

Speaking of random thoughts that just hit me now, this would probably cover sega and data east and that could kick the door wide open.

 

[shutyertrap]

Have they got a good proper cab mode going for the Williams tables? Gregg from SpaciesArcade seemed to indicate that there’s still no backglass or DMD support, as well as visual things like the table moving when nudged, which instead it should be locked since the actual cab would be moving.

 

[MBeeching]

Very exciting news. My only concern is Stern's stance of no cabinet mode views. That would make them a non starter for me which would be sad.

Hopefully Zen can finally convince Uncle Gary that regardless of their quality, these virtual recreations are still no substitute for the real thing. I'm sure he loathes seeing his company's work on high end virtual cabs but the two activities are mutually beneficial. Players with virtual setups would struggle to resist testing their skills on the real thing given the opportunity.

Real pinball cabs are so hard to come by in most regions and impossibly cost prohibitive to own for most people, whenever I see one I want to play it immediately and that reignited interest is largely due to the video game alternatives. Perhaps he's slowly coming around though, the Rift versions certainly felt like a step in the right direction.

 

[shutyertrap]

I don't think you'd find a single person on the planet who would go, "nah, I'll just download this $10 3 pack instead of spending $8000 on a full size table" if they are pinball collectors. Those that can afford a new Stern, buy new Sterns. Those that can't afford one, are simply never going to be a Stern customer, period. What a digital version does do is entices a person to dream and save in the hopes of one day buying one. Stern gets no money from the secondary market of physical machines, so who cares if an older table supports cab mode? And if you did have the cash to buy new, wouldn't it be nice to sample the 3 currently in production digitally to see which one you'd really like most?

 

[Nomorestalker]

Have they got a good proper cab mode going for the Williams tables? Gregg from SpaciesArcade seemed to indicate that there’s still no backglass or DMD support, as well as visual things like the table moving when nudged, which instead it should be locked since the actual cab would be moving.

there's a camera that is close to cabinet mode, but it was said to be in the plans after things get sorted out and we haven't heard anything since. As far as Spacies goes there is no official support for a real DMD but there are workarounds currently.

 

[Nomorestalker]

I don't think you'd find a single person on the planet who would go, "nah, I'll just download this $10 3 pack instead of spending $8000 on a full size table" if they are pinball collectors. Those that can afford a new Stern, buy new Sterns. Those that can't afford one, are simply never going to be a Stern customer, period. What a digital version does do is entices a person to dream and save in the hopes of one day buying one. Stern gets no money from the secondary market of physical machines, so who cares if an older table supports cab mode? And if you did have the cash to buy new, wouldn't it be nice to sample the 3 currently in production digitally to see which one you'd really like most?

Just getting my vocal minority concerns out upfront before zen has even confirmed a deal. Let's not forget how much complaining we had to do to get an uncensored steam version when they first took over williams/bally. Would I still buy them? yes. But I'll also complain about how dumb it is.

 

[msilcommand]

Real pinball cabs are so hard to come by in most regions and impossibly cost prohibitive to own for most people, whenever I see one I want to play it immediately and that reignited interest is largely due to the video game alternatives. Perhaps he's slowly coming around though, the Rift versions certainly felt like a step in the right direction.

Last weekend I stretched $5 in quarters for an hour and a half on a real AFM. Prior to practicing on emulations of it, I would have needed at least $20 to get that much play; in my adolescence, probably more. Without a free pin to practice on somewhere back in the 80s-90s, or a free-play arcade (which was nonexistent in NJ then), the cost to practice on a pin was very prohibitive for the average person. My allowance as a teen in 1994 was $3.50 (and I had a ****-ton of chores to earn it). That would have been one set of 5 plays and a slice of pizza and a coke a week.

I love digital pinball for this reason. All of those years of pins I yearned to play, and I finally can do it, sort of, but it is good enough for me. I have actually found that with the pins on TPA and FX3, my real life score ranges are very similar. So, they have got it down pretty damn close.

I don't think you'd find a single person on the planet who would go, "nah, I'll just download this $10 3 pack instead of spending $8000 on a full size table" if they are pinball collectors.

I wouldn't invest $2000 in building a digital cabinet over putting that $2000 away for a real pin, because the two are separate experiences to me. I plan (one day) on building a multi-cade cab with two seats, and a portrait screen with my pie running the mass of pre-3D stuff I already own, and a PC running the post-3D stuff. I don't see any value in building a digital pinball cab. Just my preference though.

 

[shogun00]

I don't think you'd find a single person on the planet who would go, "nah, I'll just download this $10 3 pack instead of spending $8000 on a full size table" if they are pinball collectors.

True, but you forgot one perspective. The bar arcades that have been popping up lately. There is one about an hour away from me, that actually has the mentality you mentioned above. Every machine is set to free play and you just pay an entrance fee. This arcade was planning to buy a couple brand new Stern pinball machines, but decided to go with pincabs in the end. In their eyes, digital pinball is good enough and they can easily load a new table in them.

Stern gets no money from the secondary market of physical machines, so who cares if an older table supports cab mode?

Actually, they do. They make a ton of money on replacement parts. I just bought another machine (Robocop from Data East) and Stern still makes replacement parts for it. They usually contract a 3rd party company to make a reproduction of the part, but Stern still gets a nice cut from it.

 

[shutyertrap]

True, but you forgot one perspective. The bar arcades that have been popping up lately. There is one about an hour away from me, that actually has the mentality you mentioned above. Every machine is set to free play and you just pay an entrance fee. This arcade was planning to buy a couple brand new Stern pinball machines, but decided to go with pincabs in the end. In their eyes, digital pinball is good enough and they can easily load a new table in them.


Actually, they do. They make a ton of money on replacement parts. I just bought another machine (Robocop from Data East) and Stern still makes replacement parts for it. They usually contract a 3rd party company to make a reproduction of the part, but Stern still gets a nice cut from it.

Good points I hadn’t thought of. Zen is planning for a commercial grade cab to go into locations, and I have to wonder if that behemoth they had at SWCC isn’t exactly that.

 

[Nomorestalker]

True, but you forgot one perspective. The bar arcades that have been popping up lately. There is one about an hour away from me, that actually has the mentality you mentioned above. Every machine is set to free play and you just pay an entrance fee. This arcade was planning to buy a couple brand new Stern pinball machines, but decided to go with pincabs in the end. In their eyes, digital pinball is good enough and they can easily load a new table in them.

Zen does request you show them a picture of your cab when requesting a cabinet key, they wanted to make sure it's for personal not commercial use. Admittedly not a perfect system I'm confident enough that if they skip it on stern tables (like tpa cabinet mode excluded stern) modders would pick up the slack. But let's not get there, let's have built in cab mode.

 

[MBeeching]

Fair enough, the use of virtual cabs on commercial premises was an oversight, though I've never encountered one myself. I appreciate why Zen introduced cabinet codes for FX3 as there are dubious pre-loaded cabinets available.

Great to hear Stern can still supply parts for those old Data East / Sega tables! Got my eye on a Bally at the moment and certain playfield parts are a major concern as it would be my first real cabinet. I've also got a virtual cab semi-assembled in my kitchen but I can't decide whether to take it further.

 

[shogun00]

Great to hear Stern can still supply parts for those old Data East / Sega tables! Got my eye on a Bally at the moment and certain playfield parts are a major concern as it would be my first real cabinet.

Only in a last resort, since it isn't cheap. You can contact Planetary Pinball and they will be able to replicate the part(s) for you. Planetary Pinball has a license with Scientific Games to be able reproduce any parts and machines (hence the new production runs on Monster Bash, AFM, and MM) from Williams and Bally.

 

[Citizen]

Meanwhile there's a Game Plan near me I'd love to pick up but I don't wanna have to search the world if it ever needs anything but the absolute most basic replacement parts.

 

[Pete]

Well i geuss its sad farsight wont be making its big come back with stern tables like some of us hoped. But zen does do a better job at recreations. you cant even fanboy out and pretend thats not true no matter how much you love what farsight did. Walking dead other than images on the cabinet has no celebritys pictured on the actual playfeild. No celebrity dmd animations or voices either. A quick replace of the backglass side art and apron stickers would clear up having to pay any actor royalties. I for one dont really care if rick is on the backglass and side, you dont even look at that stuff when playing anyway.