22 replies to this topic

[dark]

Well I went to a Walking Dead Pinball launch party last night at a local bar/restaurant that was sponsored by Playdium Store.  The queue was fairly long to play and it was working  in 4 player rotations so it was 1 ball per play.  I was disappointed in my performance, as with many Stern games these days the left out lane is a bit harsh and needs to be avoided as much as possible.  I had maybe a total of 2 games (6 balls) and I never really got a good chance to get to know the table but I did get to observe a few other people have some decent runs at it.  The table features some cool toys and a nice layout.  There's at least one event where all the table lights go out, when you're not expecting it can make it easy to lose track of the ball.

 

I'd like to get another chance to play the game, with 3 ball play without a large crowd to make a better assessment of the game.  I would of liked to have taken more pictures and video especially for reference for 3D models of the toys for future recreations but the circumstances weren't the best for that.

 

What was kinda neat at the event was they had a monitor displaying an overhead camera:

[The Loafer]

Very cool, wish I had the chance to pop to Toronto or Montreal for the launch.

[ICPjuggla]

Loafer there is a launch in Buffalo not far from you next Friday. The wife and I are going to hit it up. PM me if your interested and I'll give you the details.

[freneticamnesic]

We have one coming up this week I'm debating going to. Never been to one so not sure what to expect

[The Loafer]

Hi ICP: unfortunately, I have plans next Friday . That was a good idea though!

Nice to hear ther are Many of the launch parties... Pinball IS NOT dead!

[Shakenbake]

I bought one at York today. Can't wait to get it home and setup!!

[EalaDubhSidhe]

I got to play one in the Manchester game expo today. The software is nowhere near finished yet so you can't judge it as a complete game, and it hasn't grabbed me immediately, but I can see it being punishing-but-popular, like Metallica was. It tries some interesting combinations within the fan-shot format, but the cheap drain potential seems a lot higher than normal. The fact that it isn't family-friendly is earning it some cred at the show.

[dark]

I got to play one in the Manchester game expo today. The software is nowhere near finished yet so you can't judge it as a complete game, and it hasn't grabbed me immediately, but I can see it being punishing-but-popular, like Metallica was. It tries some interesting combinations within the fan-shot format, but the cheap drain potential seems a lot higher than normal. The fact that it isn't family-friendly is earning it some cred at the show.

Yea I found that many of the objective shots were set ups for center drains and the left out lane being a large gap and frequent place for rubbers to bounce to hard to avoid.  I'm sure with some practice, certain patterns could decrease the risk of drains but yeah my general feeling about modern stern games is that they are usually quite difficult and unforgiving.  I just wish I had more time to get to know the machine, I like difficult tables with lower average ball times.

[Joe]

Based on sterns last few games it will take time for the software to be there.

[zero1975]

I played this at play expo in manchester yesterday also & i was fairly impressed as i like a challenge ! only got to play it 2 or 3 times but it will be a great pin when its finished. Even got to meet Gary stern yesterday & talk pinball which was great !

[BobAlbright]

   You're right about Stern tables these days. They're tough!--real "quarter eaters" (Don't you wish it were still quarters )  And the comment about all the lights going out. ....what a great , interesting twist. !

[Joe]

   You're right about Stern tables these days. They're tough!--real "quarter eaters" (Don't you wish it were still quarters )  And the comment about all the lights going out. ....what a great , interesting twist. !

they take quarters and some bars have games cheap / free in the Chicago area.

[freneticamnesic]

Depends on the operator. Lots of local ones are 75 cents per play, they crank the premiums/LEs up to $1.00

[The Loafer]

Woohoo local operator got his in and will install at our local barcade sometime in the next week!

[monkeychunkuk]

I got to play it in the UK on sat




Sent from the smut hut

[Blackmoor]

I called the closest Stern distributor after learning of this title and ordered a LE model. Expecting delivery end of October/beginning of November. Can't wait. Huge fan of the show. From the Youtube videos of the Pro model in action, I'm liking the lighting and flow of the game.

[dark]

I called the closest Stern distributor after learning of this title and ordered a LE model. Expecting delivery end of October/beginning of November. Can't wait. Huge fan of the show. From the Youtube videos of the Pro model in action, I'm liking the lighting and flow of the game.

 

Awesome, congrats....maybe if you ever have the glass off you could take some pictures of the table toys for me.  I'd like to make 3D models of them, there's no rush though since it will be a long time before we can release recreated emulations of this release.  I'd particularly like to model the fat zombie, he looks so cool and would be fun and challenging to model!

 

Look part way down this post for instruction on how to take the best possible resource/reference photos for the purpose of making 3D models:

http://www.vpforums....=27964&p=268316

[EalaDubhSidhe]

Four particular things to watch out for on the game as it currently stands:

 

* A strong ball shot up the centre to hit the upper right target is capable of rebounding hard enough to come straight back down the same way, in a similar fashion to Metallica's right orbit.

 

* The ramps are harder to climb than on recent Stern games, with the right one in particular being a nasty drain risk if you fail it.

 

* The fat well walker toy rocks when struck, but the well it sits in doesn't, and since it's a hard surface you should expect a marked ball dampening when you play.

 

* The magnet in front of the prison is right over the centre and will drop the ball straight down the drain if it brings it to a halt. I'm assuming it's not supposed to do this and is meant to just fling the ball away, but the timing cycles aren't correct in the software yet. The game code is definitely at a pretty early stage right now.

[dark]

"* The fat well walker toy rocks when struck, but the well it sits in doesn't, and since it's a hard surface you should expect a marked ball dampening when you play."

 

On the table I played the well had some give to it as well.  Although I was discussing with a few people there whether people thought it was supposed to do that or not.  I thought maybe it had a bit of give to it to absorb ball impacts for reasons you stated above.

[freneticamnesic]

The switch in front has give, from what I've seen, but the cylinder is stationary