TAG - Thunderbirds Pinball - parts update thread

[skywalker]

Nice work Mike, sounds like your got all bases covered, looking forward when more info is released 

[Homepin]

Factory looks good, not that I would know what makes a good factory or not.
Any news on the game?
 

I wrote a long answer for you but it was wiped by the site before I pushed "go"

Short story is I am building this business FROM SCRATCH and I don't have the staff or the luxury of a huge PR machine like Stern does.

If I were to show anything it would NOT have any artwork. It would have flippers, bumpers, ramps and kickers - big deal, just like practically every other pinball machine ever made.

I can't afford the time or money to be wasting on this "limited release" of features and constantly getting approval from the licensor. After all, what did that achieve with WOZ? The G.I. is STILL woeful and there are numerous other issues - for $11K - bloody ridiculous IMO - I need to get on and make it happen, not present a show & tell like some do.

If that doesn't suit some I'm afraid it's easy - you can't please everyone all the time.

[studley67]

fair coment mike,lets just all get behind you in this endevour.We all want to see this machine come to fruition and realise what a mamouth task you have started to undertake,and hopefully acomplish.I look forward to owning one of your machines one day.damien

[Cow Corner]

Factory looks good, not that I would know what makes a good factory or not.
Any news on the game?
 

I wrote a long answer for you but it was wiped by the site before I pushed "go"

Short story is I am building this business FROM SCRATCH and I don't have the staff or the luxury of a huge PR machine like Stern does.

If I were to show anything it would NOT have any artwork. It would have flippers, bumpers, ramps and kickers - big deal, just like practically every other pinball machine ever made.

I can't afford the time or money to be wasting on this "limited release" of features and constantly getting approval from the licensor. After all, what did that achieve with WOZ? The G.I. is STILL woeful and there are numerous other issues - for $11K - bloody ridiculous IMO - I need to get on and make it happen, not present a show & tell like some do.

If that doesn't suit some I'm afraid it's easy - you can't please everyone all the time.

Fair enough.

[Pop Bumper Pete]

With all the space will you be doing everything at Home pin central or will circuit board and cabinet printing be done at other companies?

[Homepin]

With all the space will you be doing everything at Home pin central or will circuit board and cabinet printing be done at other companies?

We certainly have the space to do everything and that is the longer term plan. Initially however cabinets (woodwork) will be made by an outside CNC firm as will blank PCBs although one of the first things I am seting up is a PCB assembly line.

My reasoning here is that almost everyone has gone to surface mount using pick and place machines and it is next to impossible to have boards made using through hole parts these days. I feel it is better to have boards made using through hole for ease of repair. Some parts like the 100 pin micro will have to be S/M as they just are not made in any other pacage BUT everything else we can assemble in house.

This also allows me to expand the range of aftermarket boards I make and get the cost of them down. Also China id very central so it is a lot cheaper and faster to ship boards all over the world direclt from PRC.

I also intend to set up our own screen printing shop complete with laser cutters for things like plastics etc. I have had pinball plastics screen printed before with mixed results so better to do them ourselves.

[Cow Corner]

I don't think I will have the patience to last this out without some regular game updates.

[Homepin]

I don't think I will have the patience to last this out without some regular game updates.

I will certainly be giving updates on our progress and the progress of parts being made etc but I won't be in a position to present much actual gameplay or artwork if that's what you are looking for.

There is a reason why my price is $5432.10 - and not $11,000 - I am not paying several staff to do nothing but apply to the licensor every second week and then provide updates....think about that. I would rather spend that money on developing a better game and/or better mechanisms etc.

I have already said MANY times that I will NOT be re-inventing pinball.

Thunderbirds Pinball will be a standard body, DMD, single level game with ramps, subways, two flippers. It will run an embedded board set not unlike WPC era but with thousands of improvements. It will have Thunderbirds toys and sounds/music and hand drawn art that will be identical to "Classic Thunderbirds" (as that is my licence) NOT photoshopped. It will be a fun game to play with easily understood rules BUT with a deeper rule set for seasoned players to enjoy. People who love Thunderbirds are obviously very happy that I am building this machine. If Thunderbirds isn't particularly "your thing" I understand that - it's fine - there are plenty of other machines available - this machine isn't for everyone, not all machines are.

A bit of imagination might be required but really, not that much, it isn't that hard to predict what a Thunderbirds Pinball might include really, is it?

I really don't know what else you might be looking for and it wouldn't matter what I showed anyway as there would always be someone who didn't like it for all sorts of reasons of their own?

You can see and play it when it's finished and if you like it the RRP at that time will be $7490.00 (if there are any left then) - and that will still be many thousands cheaper than other offerings.

I don't have a problem that you want to see more, I just can't understand what exactly you want to see? I have already explained about the licencing - unless someone wants to come on board and work for free for two years to do nothing but apply for release notices and pay from their own pocket for photograhpic sessions and video work there is just no point taking this discussion further.

There are other titles that I have in the works and I won't be saying much about them either - I will also be highly unlikely to be offering discount deals up front for them as I have done with Thunderbirds. They are more likely to "just appear".

I hope the above clarifies some of your points.

[Cow Corner]

I don't think I will have the patience to last this out without some regular game updates.

I will certainly be giving updates on our progress and the progress of parts being made etc but I won't be in a position to present much actual gameplay or artwork if that's what you are looking for.

There is a reason why my price is $5432.10 - and not $11,000 - I am not paying several staff to do nothing but apply to the licensor every second week and then provide updates....think about that. I would rather spend that money on developing a better game and/or better mechanisms etc.

I have already said MANY times that I will NOT be re-inventing pinball.

Thunderbirds Pinball will be a standard body, DMD, single level game with ramps, subways, two flippers. It will run an embedded board set not unlike WPC era but with thousands of improvements. It will have Thunderbirds toys and sounds/music and hand drawn art that will be identical to "Classic Thunderbirds" (as that is my licence) NOT photoshopped. It will be a fun game to play with easily understood rules BUT with a deeper rule set for seasoned players to enjoy. People who love Thunderbirds are obviously very happy that I am building this machine. If Thunderbirds isn't particularly "your thing" I understand that - it's fine - there are plenty of other machines available - this machine isn't for everyone, not all machines are.

A bit of imagination might be required but really, not that much, it isn't that hard to predict what a Thunderbirds Pinball might include really, is it?

I really don't know what else you might be looking for and it wouldn't matter what I showed anyway as there would always be someone who didn't like it for all sorts of reasons of their own?

You can see and play it when it's finished and if you like it the RRP at that time will be $7490.00 (if there are any left then) - and that will still be many thousands cheaper than other offerings.

I don't have a problem that you want to see more, I just can't understand what exactly you want to see? I have already explained about the licencing - unless someone wants to come on board and work for free for two years to do nothing but apply for release notices and pay from their own pocket for photograhpic sessions and video work there is just no point taking this discussion further.

There are other titles that I have in the works and I won't be saying much about them either - I will also be highly unlikely to be offering discount deals up front for them as I have done with Thunderbirds. They are more likely to "just appear".

I hope the above clarifies some of your points.

It's just a question of high anticipation and wanting to see what the finished product is like from my end, nothing more...nothing less. It just helps me to have something tangible to look at and digest.
I could imagine quite a few different ways to incorporate the toys, rules, flow, audio etc into the game but they would only be my ideas and not what might end up on the actual game.
I love the theme.
I am not looking for the re-invention of pinball, far from it.
I want the game and your company to be awesome and be a big hit with players.
 

[Pop Bumper Pete]

the machine is still 18 months away

I would rather Mike keep hidden from us as much as he can until the last 6 months or so

peaking too soon will be an anticlimax

I am glad he is 'not reinventing' pinball
when talking about WOZ, does anyone mention the spinning house, melting witch?
nope, just the really well built cabinet and blinding LED lighting effects

[Retropin]

Sneak peeks are the norm these days.. STERN do it and JJP also took this approach on board.
IMO all it does it give a load of people on RGP a reason to start speculating on whether they like it or not.. it should be like this... I don't like the colour.. lets hope XXX overcomes this and I can ignore it...looks great - cant wait to play it.etc etc etc.
Its all bollox.. you just do not know how a game plays until you play it... all this "I can speculate and dictate how a game will be by looking at the subtle placings of the playfield parts" is just someone sounding off and attempting to sound like an authority.. complete crap.

Its refreshing to not have a game pulled apart by critics years before its released.. there is always more negative than positive posted about anything ( apart from ACDC which is the game no one is allowed to speak ill of).

My understanding of the machine is that its theme is a cracker and it will be true honest pinball..Thatll do for me.

Do I have the funds right now? - nope so I haven't bought one.. am I praying it doesn't sell out?.. Damn right!

[Cow Corner]

My understanding of the machine is that its theme is a cracker and it will be true honest pinball..Thatll do for me.

As much as I love the theme, I can't just rely on that and hope that it will be good.
I have seen and played too many pins with off the hook themes that were supposed to be the best game ever etc and they turned out to be boat anchors.
As a buyer who has placed a deposit, what is wrong with wanting more info before dipping into the pockets some more?
Surely nothing?

[Homepin]

My understanding of the machine is that its theme is a cracker and it will be true honest pinball..Thatll do for me.

As much as I love the theme, I can't just rely on that and hope that it will be good.
I have seen and played too many pins with off the hook themes that were supposed to be the best game ever etc and they turned out to be boat anchors.
As a buyer who has placed a deposit, what is wrong with wanting more info before dipping into the pockets some more?
Surely nothing?

Nothing wrong at all except you want me to run up bills to no advantage. I set the price with a VERY tight budget in mind. I am already squeezed an extra 15% because of the shift in the AUD since I put this machine up for sale so already those who have paid have a further 15% discount.

I strongly suggest you ask my accounts for a refund straight away because it seems I will be unable to satisfy your requests. Heck, I won't even see a finished playfield myself for at least a year yet! How can I possibly show anyone else a playfield or specific gameplay?

Also, as pointed out in a post above, the second I release anything (and this has already happened) the armchair experts come out with all manner of reasons why it's too, big, small, wide, tall, green and every other imaginable reason, usually conjecture and BS but it is simply unnecessary speculation and isn't constructive.

I have to start from absolute scratch and most appreciate that. It isn't a matter of designing the machine and making it - I also have to design every part in the machine.

Stern didn't have to do this and neither did JJP.

I do have a professional video being tweaked at the moment and I will release it soon BUT I doubt it will answer any of your questions about gameplay as it is a very generic - "look, a new pinball" video, not really showing our work to date.

I don't think you have the slightest clue just how much work and expense this excercise entails. I have already spent over $220,000 of my own money on this venture because I know it will succeed. I also made NO SECRET that the machine will be released mid 2015 and not before. It is a condition of my licence that it be ready for sale in 2015.

[Pop Bumper Pete]

But what color will the siderails and lockdown bar be?
Chrome?
Black?
Stainless steel?
Thunderbird 2 green?

[Homepin]

But what color will the siderails and lockdown bar be?
Chrome?
Black?
Stainless steel?
Thunderbird 2 green?

Hahaha - what's a lockdown bar and a siderail - are they some sort of moustache?

Seriously, I had looked at black but I think standard brushed stainless is the way to go.