The Aussie Pinball Arcade
Aussie Pinball Forums => New developments => Heighway Pinball => Topic started by: swinks on October 19, 2012, 06:30:24 PM
-
Today Pingame Journal released a interview with the guy from Heighway at the Chicago pinball show (Oct 2012) where the first game has been changed to a Full Throttle (Motorbike theme) with features like pop up spinning motor wheel sort of pop bumpers etc.
Tour the Globe competing in the world championship - Motorcross, Stunt Biking, Circuit, Drag and Street Racing with up to a 6 ball multiball frenzy.
The are going to have the game ready for a London show in Jan 2013 and aiming to go into production around March 2013.
More machines to pick from - Heighway, Stern, JJP and SkitBpinball - exciting times
http://www.youtube.com/pinjournal
I know this is probably going to go into production but quantities unknown at this stage so will leave it in this section for the moment.
http://www.pinballnews.com/news/fullthrottle.html
-
Much better
While I did like the freshness of Circe, the overall feeling on the theme was WTF???
Full Throttle is a great theme, I hope it does well for them
-
I am not a motorbike fan, but I like the concept of the different racing, The rising wheel spinners even the HSII ball spinner thing at the back. I would if any Aussie company will become a importer - there you go Cavey a business for you.
-
It has a NO FEAR style of feel like the 1995 release from Williams which is a good pinball. I like this title from them versus the other animal themed machine etc.
Wouldnt mind being a Stern dealer oneday so would have to leave out importing other pinny brands but a good idea for someone in Australia to become a dealer for those English guys.
-
The last minute theme change just reinforces how precarious the pinball manufacturing world is, despite all the talk of a mass revival. No-one dares to go outside the square anymore - just stick with the same rehashed themes that have been seen countless times before.
Disappointing.
-
Cool theme, there are very few bike themed games, especially road bikes
-
was really looking forward to Circes, oh well thats what I get for not being MAINSTREAM !!! ppppffffftttt
This does look pretty cool though I must admit
-
More news about Heighway's 'Full Throttle' machine
While happy to see another pinball maker, I feel that these guys seem to biting off more than they can chew
http://www.pinballnews.com/games/fullthrottle/index3.html
-
I am not into motorbikes but the game is looking good and some originality there as well.
Well done guys ^^^
thanks for posting Pete ^^^
-
hey, won't the ball flying around break these globes above the targets.....?
I hope someone has a a cool 3 to 5 million dollars minimum to get this whole operation up n running..........
.....personally, I would have tried doing a deal with Stern or JJP for a title to sell all over the world or europe ?.........rather than going it alone...he should have spoken to JJP/Jack and asked him what massive task was awaiting him.......and if the deal doesnt work, bye bye 3 to 5 million in set up fees...massive gamble.....perhaps a pre-sale like Woz would have been smarter first, then deck out a factory with other peoples money......? !@#
-
That photo is a mock up of what it could look like not a production layout.
Why bag them out already, i would think they have the funds and resources available to make it happen or they would not bother. At least they are showing some initiative and doing something a bit different. Good luck to them hopefully we get another pinball producer to choose from.
-
I hope they do really well, but it is a massive investment to build a factory out and hire all the office and production floor staff and then get everything ready and all the stock/parts to produce pinball machines. Its alot of money to risk without pre-sales like JJP did. Hope they succeed.
-
More news about Heighway's 'Full Throttle' machine
While happy to see another pinball maker, I feel that these guys seem to biting off more than they can chew
http://www.pinballnews.com/games/fullthrottle/index3.html
Interesting to hear they are looking well into the future with different titles and Circe's Animal House is still on the cards down the track. I think it's a good move to choose a safer theme, at least for the first couple of titles . Maybe boring to some keeping a fairly set formula, but for me it's a smart move to build up the clientele before taking a gamble like that.
-
I am not into motorbikes but the game is looking good and some originality there as well.
Well done guys
thanks for posting Pete
+1
-
Here is a update, boy it is looking nice
http://www.pinballnews.com/games/fullthrottle/index4.html
-
PC based = DISASTER!!!! - no matter how 'whizzy' the playfield is.....no future...my $0.02
-
Cant wait to see the Chain Loop Accelerator in action.. vertical loops... i like it!
-
Interesting idea that LCD in the lower pf !@#
-
I didn't pick this up at first and some one brought it up on pin side - interesting idea
The flippers no longer have to assembly through the playfield, they are a kit that just bolts in.. I think this is a great idea - these guys are thinking ^^^
"Hi Guys,
There is a nylon flipper infill that sits below the flipper bat and level with the playfield wood surface.
The flipper bat is at the normal height you would expect on most machines
If the ball passes a raised flipper bat, then it will roll over a smooth nylon surface and then through till it drains
Andrew"
"We are looking to have a launch party towards the end of February in Central London
We are hoping to have 2 pre-production models on display there"
-
Hi Guys,
Very interesting to read all your comments.
If I can answer any questions then please let me know.
Andrew
-
%)% Andrew
maybe start your own thread on your business and keep us Aussies informed?
that would be cool to have an answer straight form the horses mouth.
ie.when, how much, what titles etc etc
I am sure you will find most people really want this to work for not only you but pinball in general
Oh Yeah and why did you kill Circes?????? ^.^ was really looking forward to this original theme.
Cheers Andy ^^^
-
Hi Oldskool,
Thanks for your comments - they are much appreciated.
Re: Circe - don't worry, she's not dead. We have plans to bring her back at some point.
I will look to get a new thread started.
Andrew
-
Andrew stated this else where, and glad you found us ^^^
Over the next couple of years we are looking to release a mixture of licensed and unlicensed titles. We have at least 1 more title scheduled for release this year.
Price is due to be revealed within the next 2 weeks, when we will also be launching our website.
We are looking to begin production in April and begin delivering to customers in May.
As our game code is essentially complete now, we are expecting our games to ship out with finished game code - although that's not to say that we won't be doing updates in the future - especially if any bugs materialise over time
As for production numbers? We will be geared up for mass production so we should be able to deal with the market's needs sufficiently
Finally, we are working hard to keep the price down as much as possible. We already have distributers in a number of countries, including the USA - so high shipping costs should not be an issue as distributers import quantities of games
Please let me know if you have any more questions and I'll do my best to answer them
Andrew
-
I didnt like this much to start off with, but it has evolved to be even better than what i thought it would be.
I am not a fan of the LCD in the playfield, but I am imagining the audio to be very good.
Well done to these guys for having a red hot crack at it for sure. ^^^
...also, dont the pop bumpers for wheels look good, some great thought was put into this design.....it looks very nice, and who doesnt like nice long looping ramp shots...very good flow i reckon it will have...hope the chain drive is a winner, and if its designed to be bullet proof will be very unique....looks fun hey.
-
I'm not into motorbikes but this looks great and some fresh ideas...... #*# Andrew and team
-
Really looking forward to seeing the LCD screen on the playfield, this will be a great feature imo.
-
Really looking forward to seeing the LCD screen on the playfield, this will be a great feature imo.
I agree *%* those ramps look sweet too ()
-
One important question hasn't been answered....is it PC based?
If it is it will prove to be a monumental disaster I'm afraid......it matters not how fantastic the game play, build quality, theme etc is.
-
One important question hasn't been answered....is it PC based?
If it is it will prove to be a monumental disaster I'm afraid......it matters not how fantastic the game play, build quality, theme etc is.
I don't understand why the issue with this Mr Homepin? At the end of the day it is all electronic in some way, isn't it?
Can you relate to me why you are so against this format and that IF it is, it will be a disaster.
I want to understand your reasoning
Cheers ^^^
-
I asked the question on pinside if it was proc, pinterface, other....
answer was "We have our own custom operating system."
Their machines are also going to be a playfield changeout system including changing the back box translite and the new cabinet side translites and said with 10 minutes you can have another game up and running - finally some great innovation - liking the cabinet translite idea as well as quick flipper unit change outs. So now one cabinet and then buy extra playfields - and the playfield will come in a box for storage on on selling. ^^^
well done guys ^^^
-
here are some graphics that I found.
Apron - which has the instructions printed not like crappy yellow instruction cards.
Cabinet side art - which will be replaceable if you purchase a different play field
Translite - got that 80/90's style art look
-
It all does look very Hotwheels 1980's from a kids hotwheels toy car box package/etc......not sure if it looks cheap, or if it is just retro 80's that makes it look a little basic ?? !@#
I would have preferred much more detailed 2013 style graphics that are much more harder hitting like the Batman motor bike cabinet to catch new kids/teenagers...? Maybe they are aiming for the retro look to get older players also to their pinball machines, or even younger kids from today...
Anyone else like it or dislike the artwork...opinions ?? !@# !@#
-
here are some graphics that I found.
Apron - which has the instructions printed not like crappy yellow instruction cards.
Cabinet side art - which will be replaceable if you purchase a different play field
Translite - got that 80/90's style art look
Great to see something other than Photoshop actors from some movie, very refreshing!
-
It all does look very Hotwheels 1980's from a kids hotwheels toy car box package/etc......not sure if it looks cheap, or if it is just retro 80's that makes it look a little basic ?? !@#
I would have preferred much more detailed 2013 style graphics that are much more harder hitting like the Batman motor bike cabinet to catch new kids/teenagers...? Maybe they are aiming for the retro look to get older players also to their pinball machines, or even younger kids from today...
Anyone else like it or dislike the artwork...opinions ?? !@# !@#
Why arent you saying that no doubt it will look better in the flesh?? Thats your stock standard line for all things STERN... why not anyone else?
-
Yes. The benefits of an unlicenced pinball theme. Artwork without demands from the movie moguls.
Is it a bit safe when they could have done anything and everything ?? Sex sells....... &&
I am still deciding if i like the cartoon hotwheels look from the 1980's Gav. When i work it out, I will throw the "look better in the flesh line in" if u would like ! *)* Stop comparing everything to Sterns, only one of us on here is allowed to do that ! <..>
p.s - where would we be without photo shopped actors > JJP ! See, even i knew the right answer for that one. And yes, thats a good thing.lol ^^^
-
here are some graphics that I found.
Apron - which has the instructions printed not like crappy yellow instruction cards.
Cabinet side art - which will be replaceable if you purchase a different play field
Translite - got that 80/90's style art look
mmmmmmmmmmmmmm cartoon boobies %.%
-
I find it an interesting contrast _ LCD in the playfield, restro style graphics for the cabinet/playfield. Bit of a contrast.
Not in love with the cartoons, but I'll wait to see the final product.
-
Maybe they are aiming for the retro look to get older players also to their pinball machines, or even younger kids from today...
Anyone else like it or dislike the artwork...opinions ?? !@# !@#
What other markets would they be focusing on? &^&
Its looking good though, shame about the mass of plastic ramps (or is that ramp). Bring on the wire form, much more fitting with the overall look and feel.
-
What i do like, is the fact they have kept the theme even accross the playfield, translite and cabinet art, so it does all look uniform for sure.
I prefer a much more modern look to compete against the massively modern look of Stern and JJP, but maybe the retro look might make it stand out, and that style has been missing from new machines for some time. Cant wait to see one.
-
Refreshing to see "real" artwork and not cheap photoshop art. Ramps remind me of the Bally "Radical" pinball. They initially appear to dominate the playfield, but after playing the game, they fit in really well. A promising start.
-
Yes, Nino I agree, I love the ramps on this pinball alot as well. they look excellent. Very nice indeed.
-
here is a top view of the playfield, looking good.
Prices will be released any day now.
-
some more info
http://www.vendingtimes.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=EB79A487112B48A296B38C81345C8C7F&nm=Vending+Features&type=Publishing&mod=Publications%3A%3AArticle&mid=8F3A7027421841978F18BE895F87F791&tier=4&id=D7587242D4C24F48A59309F15CD7DBB0
-
$#$ so excited for this company and hope they take off globally and bring something new to the table.
Great read SWINKS, lets hope this company might do a SURFING pinny? &&
-
Looking forward to seeing more on this machine, It has my interest more than anything else out there at the moment.
I love the look of the playfield but the sideart and translite look a bit too simple for me. Not looking for photoshop or anything, just would have liked it to be a bit more detailed.
I do have a question though, where the ramp joins is that going to have a diverter to send it to either side of the playfield? Would love it if it did, or even better a player contolled diverter so you could choose where you want the ball to go for the best chance of lining up your next shot. Like the diverters in the Shadow.
I am guessing it does not, but it would be a great think if it did. &&
-
it's all gone a bit silent, hopefully a few game tweaks including art and securing distributors and should see something soon.
you can see the display panel in the side of the cabinet and the playfield screen is in test mode by the looks
one average picture from
http://www.flipperverein.de/?attachment_id=1027
-
Yeah it has gone quiet, thanks for the pic mate.
Interesting no chain toy on it yet, also wonder if the pop up bumpers/spinners are functional on it? Hard to tell from that photo... !@#
Thanks for the updates.
-
The Full Throttle game is actually being showed this weekend at the German Pinball Championships in Berlin, so that should kill the silence :)
-
SWEET, I hope this goes really well as I am sick to death of Metallica and WOZ, neither which have been released yet !@#
Too much !!@ factor in the world at the moment. OR maybe I should stop reading forums, ha ha %.%
Looking forward to this manufacturer getting off the ground
-
The Full Throttle game is actually being showed this weekend at the German Pinball Championships in Berlin, so that should kill the silence :)
Excellent, if your going let us know how it looks in the flesh.
-
The Full Throttle game is actually being showed this weekend at the German Pinball Championships in Berlin, so that should kill the silence :)
Good to hear, really looking forward to seeing progress on this title as it really has my interest. The website is non existant and i dont have facebook (yes,yes the horror of it all, i dont have facebook).
Is the facebook page updated more than the website?
Anyway any info is good info. ^^^
-
From their Facebook page
"April 13
Full Throttle to Berlin !! Literally ... 125mph down the autobahn with Full Throttle pinball :-)
Our public debut within the hour..."
"April 2
A HUGE day in the history of our company today....
We have completed on our factory unit.
14,300 square feet of factory & office space
We aim to start production in 2 months time
Lots more news to follow shortly"
"March 20
We have been quiet for the last few weeks, with updates being delayed, but we are making significant progress.
On Monday we are due to move into our new factory and we are planning on releasing many updates, as well as there being detailed articles in Pinball News and Pingame Journal, to coincide.
Thanks for your patience and please watch this space..."
here is a story from March 8th, talks about you setting up a profile online and then this game can interact with the net and you can compare against friends in different areas
http://www.vendingtimes.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=EB79A487112B48A296B38C81345C8C7F&nm=Vending+Features&type=Publishing&mod=Publications%3A%3AArticle&mid=8F3A7027421841978F18BE895F87F791&tier=4&id=D7587242D4C24F48A59309F15CD7DBB0
-
Pinballnews.com has a report on the German Open and mentions the game + photos.
-
here is the latest info and a game play video
The test game is missing the pop up bumpers and chain drive features as the design is still being fine tuned. Though the game now has playfield plastics with graphics instead of the carbon fibre look
Here is a link to Pinballnews story on Heighway as well as video link. The game looks good and the lcd in the playfield is a nice feature, some of the shots play nice and fast, check the bounce back on the ramps, if it didn't you would have to be fast to control the ball.
http://www.pinballnews.com/games/fullthrottle/index5.html
utoplay=1&rel=0
it also has some pricing at the pinball news which appears to be the European pricing only so I am guessing add $1k to $1.5k for dealer profit line, freight, tax
at a guess:
COMPLETE - cabinet and playfield as a package $5630 Euros = Aus $7159
KIT - cabinet and hardware only is $2550 Euros = Aus $3243
KIT - playfield, translites and software is $3150 Euros = Aus $4006
There will will a LE (250 items only) that will include playfield and trim enhancements, a shaker, and Full Throttle Branded items for approx $1200 Euro = Aus $1525
so this works out with a estimated dealer margin, tax and freight to Aus to be
- LE = $10184 Aus
- Regular = $8659 Aus
I suppose the saving is in getting the next game is at a guess $5000 (including $1k for freight) for the playfield and tranlites averaging your Heighway Games at $13659 for both = $6829 for each game, though the hassle being only one game is playable at a time.
Concept is cool, but the look still feels off and still not a bargain, makes a current new Stern good value for money. Curious what others think.
-
I have been watching this closely and have even emailed Andrew about the machine.
I have to say i am a little shocked at the price! I was honestly expecting pricing to be around the Stern Pro range.
Thanks for the update Swinks. ^^^
-
there was another thread running on pinside that Andrew chimed in and said that (somehow) he is going to reduce the overseas pin prices somehow, all to revealed soon
so for those interested stay in there, in addition I have written to him and he knows of this thread and is a member here so hope he chimes in and he is open to constructive ideas on how to improve any little things where possible.
-
The actual machine price is close to what i was expecting with out the future 'price bump', tax and shipping.
Interested to see the LE version and the fibre optic neon lighting. I was on the understanding that the LE would have a different screen as well where it projected onto the glass or something to that effect (sorry was not quite sure what it did). Also still wondering if the join in the ramps has a diverter?
Still keen on this machine, just have to wait and see. Would be good to hear Andrews feedback.
-
All the latest from PinballNews
New video added as well
http://www.pinballnews.com/games/fullthrottle/index5.html
Photo of the games LCD which looks unreal below !
Game plays very fast, no pop bumpers added yet, that will make a huge difference. I reckon a pop bumper or two up in the top right corner could work as well. Notice in the video the side of the cabinets art edge flashes different LED RGB colours and the music is also pretty upbeat. Hopefully final cabinet will be gloss black and not matt. Might just be the light. Looking good though.
-
oops, just noticed swinksy had already added the pinballnews link. apologies. was in a rush.
-
oops, just noticed swinksy had already added the pinballnews link. apologies. was in a rush.
And here i was getting all excited for a new vid and some more info...... %$%
-
the mid playfield LCD looks good though.
-
Hi guys,
Sorry I have been away for a while, but thanks for all the comments.
Please don't jump to conclusions about prices as they should be a lot lower than discussed here. I would expect prices to be around AUS $7,000-7,500 + taxes and delivery (within Australia) - but I am waiting for clarification on import duties before we can confirm prices
We are finalising our distribution in Australia and will announce everything here shortly.
All comments here are read and we welcome any feedback that can help us make our games better
Thanks,
Andrew
-
Great theme, however I think the landed AU price and overall art package lets this game down !@#
-
We are finalising our distribution in Australia and will announce everything here shortly.
Thanks Andrew. Will wait till i see proper pricing, and a gameplay vid with all the toys included.
Great theme, however I think the landed AU price and overall art package lets this game down !@#
Have to agree with this statemement, price i guess we will wait and see. But the art on the cab and translite is a bit simple for my tastes, again though will hold judgement until a finished product is announced.
-
a little update from Andrew
"It has been a quiet few weeks but there has been plenty going on at Heighway Pinball.
The main news is that we have listened to the public and are creating a new translite and side decal package. The existing artwork package will still be available but the new package will be the primary one. We are hoping to release this at the end of May.
We are also looking at updating the cabinet and backbox design to make it look more "modern"
We will have more updates shortly
Andrew"
-
Looking forward to play the prototype this weekend at the UK pinball party :)
-
new cab art looks good
-
a visitor of the UK pinball posted a image of what the cabinet will be like, not sure LE or every cabinet but looks good, just hope it doesn't lose too much strength
-
From the UK Pinball Party the graphics have changed and look better but dare say there will still be a few changes, Below is a old graphics and new graphics with the side panels side lit
-
The pin look great, all the best to the new guys ()
Art work graphics are Woeful & Crapola in today's age should be Eye Poping, WTF WIK, ^^^
-
Andrew has stated:
Aside from Full Throttle, we have 6 games in various stages of development
Our business model requires us to release 3 games a year - and these will be a mixture of licensed and unlicensed themes
-
Heighway have a forum linked on their website and in one of the threads is some information for Full Throttle, translite art, cabinet art, rgb lighting
the lcd looks great ^^^
-
here is a view of their cabinet which looks unique but very good and the translite has the speakers incorporated in it
I think this looks great, well done Heighway ^^^
-
Looks very cool ()
-
I played a couple of games on the new prototype playfield of Full Throttle last weekend. The flow is still there, but the game had some issues. When the game was placed in the main gameroom on Sunday it had a note on it asking for feedback. I wrote down at least half a page of suggestions, which I had already discussed with the designer of the game saturday afternoon. I'm glad he was open and receptive to my suggestions. Most of these are easy to implement, nothing major, but they may very well result in a more interesting game. I even suggested a cool Cage of Death toy for the game that would fit in very nicely with the theme. Not sure if that will make it into the game, as it may be too expensive for what it will add, but still :)
The vertical supercharger, which was pictured in flyers, is no longer in the game and nobody seemed to miss it. I never understood why it was in the game, and I fear the development of it only slowed the project down.
The display in the playfield is nice, but was not very helpful for the player at the moment. E.G: in order to qualify to start a mode you need to spell R-A-C-E in the in-/outlanes. But that had to be told to me. So once I had R-A-C-E spelled the lights stayed on and I had no clue what to do next. That should be easy to explain on the display with a special screen, but it was not present last weekend.
Still, for a prototype a fun playfield to play which should be a good sign. Good luck guys!
-
a little update from last week
click the image to enlarge
-
My understanding is that they have dropped the 'chain drive' toy......shame.
Still interested to see the progress though.
-
heard from Andrew and he is taking on onboard all the feedback and he said Doug Watson is currently painting the translite for Full Throttle with the goal to have the game all finished for expo this year.
-
Pinball News have posted the write up of the interview and photos from the UK Pinball Party
http://www.pinballnews.com/games/fullthrottle/index6.html
-
thanks for the link, Great incite on these guys, the game is growing on me now, am i aloud to ask how much #@# no, not buying ^^^
-
thanks for the link, Great incite on these guys, the game is growing on me now, am i aloud to ask how much #@# no, not buying ^^^
he hasn't released figures yet....
but he is going to be getting cabinets made in the US as well as the UK so then only playfield and translite kits are sent from the UK and installed in the US which will reduce freight cost and potentially import taxes. I did ask if that may be the case for Australia as well - waiting on that answer.
-
has a local distributor been announced yet #@#
-
has a local distributor been announced yet #@#
not announced yet, but think that will come out when the product is finalised and released at Expo which is I think is October
-
I love bikes but this game really isn't hitting the mark for me artwork wise. It will be interesting to see it evolve but TBH I would sooner buy a bike than a game about bikes. I might think differently if pinball prices were lower.
-
This should make some people happy to hear that some of the art is being re-worked.
*Artwork Update*
Doug has finished the backglass art now. Our second (mystery) A-list pinball artist has just completed some new artwork for something special on the playfield - to be revealed soon.
Melanie (on the playfield) has been re-drawn and is now much sexier! Also, the playfield bikes are being re-drawn.
-
Pinball News have posted the write up of the interview and photos from the UK Pinball Party
http://www.pinballnews.com/games/fullthrottle/index6.html
I really like where this is going.
I actually love the designs so far, and I like the see thru glass or Perspex windows on the sides of the cabinets to let out flashing lights n stuff to get peoples attention, but it just looks ever so much more modern whilst staying simple. I like the way the three cabinets look.
Heighway is best taking theiur time, doing it right, and bringing out a killer of a package.
I like the Pin2000 concept of artwork out (translate and sidework n coindoor) new artworks n playfield in, and u have a new game at a much reduced cost.
Operators will like this. People with little space will like this.
The cabinet designs are ultra modern n the colours work really really well together.
A few weeks ago I had written them off, but now I see they are a dark horse to be watched.
Even if only pinheads in the UK mostly support them, it will be a big win for pinball and Andrew and his team.
Thanks for sharing Jady(Swinksy).
-
any more news anyone on whats happening with Andrew's company-production ? timetables ?? !@#
I still really like the modern computer terminal look to the backbox/headbox.
The 3 cabinet colours do look impressive
http://www.pinballnews.com/games/fullthrottle/index6.html
-
just got an email off Andrew that he might be at the Sydney Pinball Expo (Oct) with a Full Throttle Pinball for play for those keen to try ^^^ #*#
http://www.pinballexpo.com.au/
he said he will confirm in the next week if he is coming
-
Awesome, really looking forward to this fresh approach in pin.
-
just got an email off Andrew that he might be at the Sydney Pinball Expo (Oct) with a Full Throttle Pinball for play for those keen to try ^^^ #*#
http://www.pinballexpo.com.au/
he said he will confirm in the next week if he is coming
Wow, that would be cool, maybe someone should send an email to Dutch Pinball: "Heighway Pinball will be there, will you?"
-
I get the feeling that he might want to finalise / look into a distribution base here as it won't be long until production starts.
He stated that he is setting up his own warehouse and distributorship in the US so he can effectively keep some of the money in his pocket which is fair enough.
-
Anyone wanting to play it...
There's one at Zax Amusements, Port Melb.
-
Thats cool. Really looking forward to this manufacturer and games to follow.
Love to hear a report on how it is.
-
Anyone wanting to play it...
There's one at Zax Amusements, Port Melb.
We now have an Australian distributor: Zax Amusements! @@*
http://heighwaypinball.com/distribution/ (http://heighwaypinball.com/distribution/)
So we should have prices available soon. Nothing yet on their website (http://www.zax.com.au (http://www.zax.com.au))
Zax are also a Stern distributor (via AMD).
-
I went down to Zax Amusements today and had a few games on Full Throttle. A few initial thoughts:
Its a big, wide game and looks even wider because of the thick bezel around the playfield glass. You really feel like you are standing in front of something substantial. It dwarfs the Kiss machine next to it and after I played a few games and moved over to the Kiss it felt kind of cramped in comparison.
It has a very open, modern feel. Partly because of the layout and partly because there are no switches in areas such as the outlanes. The game is very fast however, it didn't feel like there was too much space. There are heaps of shots.
Everything is super smooth. The ramps feel satisfying and solid when you hit them. The flippers are strong and seemed very light, almost effortless to flip. I played Judge Dredd afterwards which felt much heavier and almost clunky in comparison. The flippers have superbands on them.
One thing I liked was that a ball coming down the inlane could be cradled easily, even when it was going very fast.
The LCD in the playfield was cool. It gave plenty of information, especially when you were in a 'race'. This particular model did not have the LCD in the backbox which I actually felt was OK, but the backbox LCD would be a nice addition.
There was heaps of code. I started several modes and different multiballs but I felt that I had only scratched the surface. The game was a lot of fun, not really a theme I am interested in but I would like to play it more on location. I can't remember the exact price, but it is about 10 grand, a similar price to the premium Sterns which they sell there as well. The staff were very friendly and enthusiastic and seemed to be happy for me to stay and play this and the other machines as long as I liked. I'd encourage people to go down and have a look.
-
good write up Dude, would love to play one and even maybe with a few crew over here pitch in and get one???????????
-
Thanks for the write up. Wife and I hoping to go down at some stage to have a gander, as interested in Alien and would be good to see how full throttle plays as a baseline :)
-
http://globalnews.ca/video/2221780/pinball-wizards?hootPostID=b6f096c243a051f3e9290f8b837dc113
-
full game play video
utoplay=1&rel=0
-
Cheers for video :) no toys? Just a turning head and a motorbike thingy am I missing something?
-
i like it!
-
Full Throttle Tutorial by Bowan
utoplay=1&rel=0
-
Great game, loved it and I am not a fan of motor racing at all.
-
That looks fantastic - great use of colour screen and looks like some great rules
-
Heck of a first effort, looks really fast, and that screen works so well - what a great spot for the info, much better than the normal DMD position. Does seem a little misaligned though with the top of the score info obscured??
One thing - that dude at the ball lock is rather creepy - Swinks - mod needed!
-
One thing - that dude at the ball lock is rather creepy - Swinks - mod needed!
maybe a mini lcd with laps remaining and other images, of a hot girl in a bikini
-
One thing - that dude at the ball lock is rather creepy - Swinks - mod needed!
.... a hot girl in a bikini
Now you're talking!
-
Full Throttle Tutorial by Bowan
utoplay=1&rel=0
I really enjoyed the video and it was a great way to introduce the product to prospective buyers. Stern should watch this video and learn that the product is what you are selling, and not self centered egomaniacs seeking attention (GOT video)..
-
under the hood
-
Groan.. stick down LED strip. Bottom end of the market lighting
-
It is their entry model and really only a translate. You can get the full screen upgrade I believe?
Good for pub siting.
-
Good theme :) but dam ugly cabinet.
-
I took delivery of a Full Throttle last week.
Incredible shot range, speed, more speed. There is one shot which I believe to be the fastest in pinball - the "fast lap" shot. It has and killer soundtrack, it's really well themed and LED back lit panels on the side are killer. The light show is also superb as is the artwork package.
The tech inside it what it should be - modern. Same with the cab styling -modern. It's not meant for folks who still think cricket bat can't be aluminium.
Rule set is complex enough without being too hard to remember.
The PF LCD is an absolute nesscesity - that's why it's there. You just don't get a moment to look up at the back box area when you are playing a ball - think MM busy-ness except on a wide body.
It's well built - putting the cabinet work of my "late model" games to shame. The unconventional PF glass and frame grow on you very quickly. It great not needing 1.2m behind all of your games so you can get the glass off - this assembly just lifts up. It is heavy however. Mine is powder coated and will soon be chromed, along with all the trim
An off the shelf commercial 27" LCD panel from Alibaba is the go if you want one up the back but it's really only those not playing the ball who will look at it. I'll get one anyway just to follow the crowd. Plug it into the space HDMI out
It has some teething as do all new games and new manufacturers. All small things which are easily addressed.
Their tech support is outstanding - I've have a couple of these teething probs and they are dang quick and helpful.
This is definitely a game for those not wanting same old remake/reissue/outdated technology - this runs on a Debian distro, the boards are connected via USB cables, there are 2 HDMI port's on the puter'. It has wireless, 2 ethernet ports. There are no micro-switches anywhere except for the shooter lane. It uses a toroidal and and the boardset does not get hot. All boards are in the cab - none up the back.
Honeymoon now over- this is the most fun/fast/cool pinball I've played. Style and substance.
Pricing was a bit over the cost of a Stern Pro model but you are talking apples and oranges - calculator vs computer, and it is far better constructed than any of my modern Sterns. On par with the pre 2006 cabs.
-
Great review thanks
-
Great to get a review... and a good one at that!
Can you post some pics please?
-
Sounds like a fantastic machine.
Did you move on any machines in your collection?
-
@@* good stuff. Congrats on this beauty.
-
This is another example of how pinball needs to evolve to both survive and grow.
Great to hear it get some positive feedback.
-
very impressive on the game table swap. Not swop ( bloody journo's )
https://youtu.be/UxBPauQ4Wjo
-
I've had the game a few weeks now and it's getting dialled in very nicely.
I did have to make plenty of adjustments but no game new or used is ever setup to your own liking.
The game is very sensitive to levels and angles - when it's not quite perfect it's a great game but when it is, the shots just fly and lead on to the next one.
Simple things such as adjusting pop/sling switches, a ball guide adjustment. Mandatory flipper adjustments and de-slopping of a couple of coils was also in order.
One of the USB hubs was not adequately fixed to it's mount and one of the USB cables just would not sit right.
Next is get the dang black rubbers off and replace with white. Then the thing will be insanely fast.
I had an IO board fail when updating it and have had to send it back to the UK for diagnosis. It's a bummer as it means a 1/4 of the playfield has not lamps/coils/switches but sometimes things fail.
These boards are PIC32 based and we think it may be stuck in update mode. I did suggest they (Heighway) SSH into the Utilite (the industrial Linux box it uses) and see if they could diagnose remotely but I didn't have the time to set that up with the current work sched so it was shipped last week. These Utilites are very cool with 2*HDMI, 6 USB' card readers etc.
The game is very sensitive to levels and angles - when it's not quite perfect it's a great game but when it is, the shots just fly and lead on to the next one. The shot angles however, are unconventional but when they flow, you really appreciate the engineering and design principles which underpin pinball.
When you raise the PF there is no mass of spaghetti wiring. Everything goes to it's local IO board then to the Utilite and back via USB. Of course there are power requirements for the coils/lamps/etc but they are distributed from the 4 IO boards.
For all it's greatness, it has makes the other games, such as Acca, feel like a toy and the wide bodies feel clunky and slow (and they sure are not). Unfortunately the others just won't get played much anymore with this monster in the room.
KBR - nothing is leaving just yet, but I was tempted. Suggest you swing past one evening this week and we'll make our arms feel like they are going to drop off.
-
Replacement IO PCB arrived today courtesy of Heighway. Now the game has become even wilder - without the IO, I only dropped LED's to 1/4 of the PF and a magnet and it's switch but now they are working again they contribute a lot to the rules and shot flow.
I was having intermittent boot probs and the occasional game lockup so thought it best to replace the USB hub as the connectors were just not snug and secure. Boot and lock up probs now gone. The original hub had substantial corrosion.
(http://i.imgur.com/DNGQ4L3.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/iTnwm1o.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/TRDSGFs.jpg)
Get your money ready for an Alien is what I say.