** there were several things that JJP said at Expo which were both expected and unpleasant to hear...
.....thats pinball.....
1.
they will ONLY have apx 1 x dozen games built by mid November, because they have only got 80 percent of the basic code finished, and WONT be building games until the code is fully finished.
WHY THE HUGE DELAY STILL YOU ASK ?..... This is because the main computer board has been built into the bottom of the WOZ cabinet, which i see is a big big mistake, because with Stern, u can build a thousand games to completion, without code, and the 2nd last step before testing n boxing a game is to upload code via a USB stick to the computer board, or even add the boards if u had to, which is how u overcome having to WAIT N WAIT N WAIT for finished code before u can even build a game. This is why Stern builds boards into the headbox and hasnt got the code before production process, ass about face....also, servicing in that confined WOZ cabinet, both for production and after production, looks like a complete nightmare, even reaching in with a USB stick means glass off, playfield up, cabinet metal box open and lid removed, etc etc etc. Stern is a 5 minute job with translite removal only !
2.
game manual wont be ready n wont be shipped with WOZ game, because it wont be ready ! only avail on the LCD, which you will have to play with to work out how the menus work, without the user manual.
3.
game wont be shipped with final code, will have to uploaded later (like some Sterns). Dissapointing but expected even though its been 2 years.
JJP thinking USB stick, avail over internet. no big deal, but it confirms what i thought would happen code wise. It wont ship with finished code although that was the initial plan/promise. It would be nice if someone oneday shipped a game with almost finished code versus several updates which are painful n time consuming, plus it gets rid of your highscores and u have to keep relearning the game n new rules etc. An industry problem I guess.BUT worse with the WOZ hardware n glass removal plus plus plus...
4.
JJP is wanting to see in November how this game performs coinwise on location to see what earnings could be expected for operators ? but wont these figures be unrealistic given local WOZ fans who have ordered a game, or have waited 2 years to see n play one will drive to it once the location is made public, and bump the figures right up versus it being sited at a real test location unknown to hardcore fans and just for joe public to play n test etc ?? Who will play a WOZ onsite realistically, given most people who watched the movie when younger are all now 65 yrs old, or older ??
..on looks alone, will normal Joe Public walk up to it with money or just walk by....my money is walk past, but JJP thinks the exact opposite..how, I am not sure they believe that, but they are confident it will do well onsite, where Stern believes it will definately will not do well onsite...time will tell.
5.
JJP still hiring at the pinball manufacturing plant...... early to mid december before production really starts, then u have Xmas break, and all the teething problems on the production lines, plus shipping times in the new year etc.
THIS GAME IS STILL A MINIMUM OF 4 months to 6 months away, realistically.....
Jersey Jack must cringe everytime someone asks when the game is going to ship...and will it be this year to the mass market of home users, which he must know inside with all the stuff written above aint going to happen. I think it would be best if they just came out n said 2013 realistically so people know now, before Xmas comes n goes n people get their hopes up n then sigh with an expected dissapointment.
JJP are doing their best. What can u do, except use hindsight for the next few good JJP games....
