P3 Pinball - pre-orders being taken for Lexy Lightspeed

[solar value]

This was in the email I received from Gerry along with the video:

Our new promo video just went live:

&feature=youtu.be

There are a couple of important things to point out:

1)  This video shows a number of ways game designers can make use of the P3's modularity to vary the physical shot layouts and features in their games.  People have long questioned how versatile the P3 could be with only the upper playfield section being swappable.  Hopefully it's now clear that designers can implement practically any feature seen in pinball before, and they can do it just about anywhere on the playfield.  It just requires a different way of thinking and in some cases some new engineering.  We've obviously already floated the flippers and slingshots over the playfield.  Floating pop bumpers and inverted scoop-type-features are coming, as are floating targets, spinners, and even ramps.

2)  Lexy Lightspeed - Galaxy Girl now has an episode name: "Escape From Earth".  This, combined with a new intro animation in the game, should allay the confusion about Lexy being a Galaxy Girl and the game being based on Earth.  As you've all seen by now, we operate backwards from most pinball companies.  We focused on making our machine (the P3) and first game (LL-EE) functional and playable first.  Then we started making them pretty (artwork, game/mode introductions, etc).  In short, Lexy and Lookie are shot down by the evil agents in Area 53.1 (deep in the Florida swampland).  Gameplay is centered around helping them escape.

Texas Pinball Festival, here we come!  Hope to see many of you there.

- Gerry Stellenberg
http://www.multimorphic.com

And this is from a new thread he created on Pinside:

Hi all,

We've received a lot of feedback about the modularity in the P3, and many have had questions about whether or not the upper playfield region is enough space to provide significantly different playing experience. While we believe it is, we've also discussed the ability to add swappable mechanical features anywhere over the entire playfield, and we've been promising conceptual images to illustrate this.

Game designers have more freedom than we can easily explain in short messages or videos. Suffice it to say, they can create just about any feature that exists in current pinball machines... they just have to think about it and engineer it a little differently.
Also note the game name change to Lexy Lightspeed - Escape From Earth. She's still Lexy Lightspeed - Galaxy Girl, but in this 'episode', she's battling the evil agents of Area 53.1 to escape from Earth and return to her adventures in space.

It's time for pinball to evolve!

- Gerry
http://www.multimorphic.com

[swinks]

It is a cool concept and I like the idea of swappable designs. I had a chat with Gerry a few weeks ago in regards to designing a swappable component / game and game theme for fun for them to then programme and manufacture. He said that the design parameters will be released soon and he encourages pinheads to come up with their designs BUT there lays a bigger challenge which will limit this potentially massively of what he is hoping people will do:

- yes I can or you can design the rear third layout layout though need experience in solidworks or the like and some cab art (illustrator or Coreldraw)
- but then you need skills to do playfield art - moving animation graphics
- and then on top you need skill to work with complex programming beyond that of dmd and game rules programming for the playfield programming and sensor tracking. All this then means that a very very small and select market of potential designers would even contemplate this.


Personally I think he is very innovative and stepped up pinball design up in a cool way as the playfield looks cool but would of been great to see this game done in 2 playfield styles to win people over, and to show the potential as many people will think it has gone too much to the video game side.
- playfield style 1 - as per the current with the video animated playfield and how it looks like a video game
- playfield style 2 - very similar to playfields that we know with the typical playfield art and inserts and the inserts light up or could have small cool animated explosions in the insert and flow beyond the in theory insert when a physical target is hit, flames from a car exhaust insert showing a car getting away if you reach a certain goal. Then when a set of goals is achieved a modified playfield with relocated inserts is shown with new goals - game advancement. Of if the game proceeds in time - ;like ball 1 is morning, 2 is afternoon and 3 is night and if you are lucky you survive the day you are awarded a 4th ball and it is morning again with the playfield lighting changing on each ball.

Having these 2 styles say at Texas pinball show with the same game rules but with the 2 different visible playfield styles (video game v's classic insert) could of captured what the market likes best or analyse what age groups like which version.

For me I would prefer the playfield style 2.

Sadly unless P3 do the programming for your game design I can't see too many people issuing them with designs & programming to manufacture and be part of the P3 selection.

[solar value]

Interesting idea Swinks with the traditional-style playfield. So, I think what you mean is that you would still have the LCD screen on the playfield but have simulated inserts and artwork to replicate those of a traditional playfield rather having the ball interacting with the video elements on the playfield.

Yes, I think what you are suggesting would be useful as an intermediate step between traditional pinball and the more innovative ways in which the P3 can be used. It's interesting that Gerry has been calling Lexy Lightspeed their 'traditional game' and their next game 'Cosmic Carts' will be even more radical.

Maybe it would be easier to design the kind of game that you are suggesting on the P3 because you would not have to utilise complex animations and the sensor tracking. It think it would be cool to see an 'EM-style' game on this system.

I think the great thing about the P3 is that all these different kinds of games are possible on the P3 and you will potentially be able to swap between them.

I think there are a lot of very clever programmers out there who would be able to design games for this.

[swinks]

Yes still have the lcd but with insert looking art but with flashing and animated art in the inserts - of a graphic of a feature person head turning to watch the ball during some features and then the view of the art and inserts change when after some goal are achieved. Maybe the sensors could be used for fun simulated playback of a combo shot or a drain shot where a character taunts you. I personally don't like the shoot the lcd floating target or the asteroids mini game - each to their own.

I am sure there are clever programmers out there, but are they into pinball as to get one that wasn't into it for your own game design would not be cheap to hire - $20k or more at a wild guess and that is the problem I believe as no one will then venture down this path.

Gerry alone is debugging the infrastructure / game template for a while now and knows his stuff, what chance does a person with the package of skills going to have to complete a ready for production in a few year period?.


I one thing I really dislike about the machine is the stance and those pinball legs - just doesn't look like a pinball - merging to Ikea style ????

[solar value]

All good points.

I know that there are a lot of people on Gerry's Multimorphic forum that have been working on their own custom games using the P-Roc controller, so there may be people there who are also interested in making games for the P3.

We'll have to wait and see what's in his developer's package I guess. I certainly hope that lots of people jump on board, the more games get made for the system, the more attractive (and cheaper for each game) it becomes. I understand what you are saying about the obstacles, however.

I can also see how this might be easier for a group of people to create a commercial game. All you need to design is your playfield modules and the software rather than the whole machine.

As for the legs, I'm pretty sure they have changed those, they are much more like standard pinball legs now (we'll see more of the production models at Texas this weekend).

[swinks]

cool, still think he has done a fantastic job and am looking forward to getting a developers package.

I am keen to design something, just wish there were a few aussies to team up to cover all the areas.
- back 3rd playfield desgn (want to give this a go)
- toy design (want to give it a go)
- digital playfield art (could help there)
- plastics art (could help there)
- programming (mmm definitley need someone here)

are you getting one SV?

want to design a game?

[Pinprick]

I am a big fan of Multimorphic's truly groundbreaking approach to pinball 
Despite being an older dude myself, I reckon that pinball has always been and should continue being dynamic & cutting edge.
It's inevitable that there will be some departures from "traditional" layouts and furniture. Machines have been developing all along, from battery powered countertops to woodrails to EM's to solid state to 90's era to Pin 2K. Why should things stagnate?

I personally have no ambitions/capabilities to mess with programming or game development (happy to rely on Gerry and maybe others) but I'd be very keen to fiddle around with artwork and physical modifications.

Another refreshing aspect of Multimorphic is their  "no money down" version of pre-orders particularly in light of recent events.

I'm seriously entertaining selling a couple of my games to finance one of these babies, especially considering that they can be changed out &c so readily & quickly.
Another salient point for me is the enormous space savings given a smallish house.

One question: is there any inkling of pricing and method of acquisition at this stage?
Perhaps this might become clear at the Texas festival tomorrow . . . .

[oldskool1969]

DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT!
100% agree, as you know! 

[solar value]

To be honest, I initially put may name down just to offer my support but the more I see, the more I appreciate how much thought they have put into every aspect of the design and how much I think this will add to the pinball playing experience.

At the moment there is a no-money down pre-order, the expected price for the P3 system plus two games is US $9995. They plan to have a cheaper option for the system with one game only, it hasn't been announced yet but I think it will be around $8000. Then, if I recall correctly, additional games were to be around $1500-$2000, but again, not set in stone.

I'm as much of a traditionalist as anyone, I don't even have a DMD game (my newest game has an alpha-numeric display) but of all the games being made today, I think that this one has the most chance of drawing new people and kids into the hobby. The playfield LCD can show newcomers what to shoot for very clearly, there's more space to explain rules in an intuitive way and there are already options built-in for team-play, handicapping, saving games, etc. Multimorphic attended a recent gaming and technology show in Austin, Texas, and Gerry said that the kids there understood what to do instantly (he also posted several pics of children crowded around it.

I don't like the Lexy Lightspeed theme, so I'll likely be waiting until more games are available but I'm certainly thinking I might invest in a P3 at some point in the future.

P.S. I had another look at the video and they are the updated legs so I think those are what you get.

[swinks]

thanks for the info 

my other concern is lcd / led screen for the likes of JJP and P3 games (especially the p3 as it it needs to be such a specific size), as many of us have older games and at least dmd's are readily available - what happens if a lcd / led dies in a 5 years time and P3 wasn't successful and not around (not that I wish it but the question has to be asked). Will it be a pinball 2000 scenario but a lcd in this case???

in the private P3 forum have they discussed the lcd / led replacement in a few years time?

[andypinboy]

This idea is truly innovative. It is a bit limited because bottom half of the playfield is constant but still a brilliant idea. Jpop & other debacles have made buyers so scared that it's going to be tough for any new pin maker to ever make it to final production stage. I hope Multimorphic manages to get there - but tough gig to finance on your own. Interesting stuff anyway.

[solar value]

Here's a video of the P3 at the recent Replay FX festival showing the 9-ball multiball:

[swinks]

it is looking good and very clever design with the mechs and the open apron right down to the lockdown bar

do you have any links to videos of how he is shooting the ball, or even photos.... curious

cheers

[solar value]

Here's the full announcement from the latest Multimorphic public update:
--------------
After showing off our early technology concept machine in 2012 and then iterating on prototype implementations over the last couple of years, I am incredibly proud to announce that the design of the most feature-rich and innovative physical pinball platform ever developed, the P3, is complete.
It's no surprise that there have been no significant technological advancements or gameplay innovations in the pinball industry for decades. The traditional, single-piece, wooden playfield isn't configured to accommodate modularity, comprehensive ball-tracking, or dynamic playfield artwork, and traditional control systems can't support new, high-tech features. Developing a revolutionary machine, or just revolutionary gameplay features, would therefore be a time-consuming, expensive, and risky proposition for anybody.
As is true in most industries, significant advancements are typically introduced by startup companies, and in the pinball industry, we (Multimorphic) are that startup. We've spent the time and money, we've taken the risk, and we've succeeded in creating a platform that delivers on our vision for modularity and gameplay innovations.
It's taken a team of incredibly passionate and talented individuals to get us to this point, and the machine is just one part of the picture. Along the way, we've developed (and continue to develop) the most advanced control system in the industry, the P-ROC/P3-ROC and associated switch and driver boards. Hundreds of custom machine developers and a number of new machine manufacturers are using our control system in their machines, and it's what we use in the P3 as well. We've also been working towards a public release of our P3 pinball development kit, which will allow anybody to create games for the P3 Pinball Platform. This is the same set of development tools and libraries we use internally to create our games.
The P3 Pinball Platform, the P-ROC/P3-ROC control system, and our software development kit combine to enable an incredibly diverse library of games. We invite other companies to participate in building up the P3 game library, and we're doing everything we can to ensure it's easy for them to do so. At the same time, we're building our own games. As pinball hobbyists ourselves, we love traditional games with interesting shot layouts and deep, fun rulesets, and our first game (Lexy Lightspeed - Escape From Earth) is exactly that type of game. With the development of LL-EE wrapping up (voice callouts are being added now), we'll soon resume development of Cosmic Cart Racing, which is another mostly traditional-style game with an interesting shot layout and fairly deep ruleset. After (or in parallel with) that, we'll continue developing traditional-style games, including both licensed and original themes.
In addition to developing a large library of traditional-style games, we intend to use the P3 to explore different shot layouts and gameplay styles in an effort to grow the pinball market beyond the traditional player and hobbyist. We've been talking about the capabilities of the P3 for a long time and asking you to imagine the possibilities, but those days are coming to an end. The P3 is so appealing to so many people that we've had a number of volunteers offer to help us develop our tools and games. Because of that, we've been able to develop some of our untraditional game ideas while the platform and LL-EE teams were busy with their own tasks.
At the 2016 Texas Pinball Festival (http://www.texaspinball.com), we'll be hosting a seminar on Saturday at noon. We'll be providing FREE LUNCH, giving away a bunch of great prizes (translites, t-shirts, etc), and revealing four new games for the P3.
I'll repeat that. During our seminar at TPF 2016 (3/19 @ 12pm), we'll be revealing FOUR new games for the P3.
To be clear, these game reveals won't just be discussions of themes and future development plans. We'll be showing you the games during our seminar and letting you play each of them at various times throughout the rest of the show. We'll therefore have a total of 5 games available for play at TPF.
We developed these new games to show off more capabilities of the platform, and they each have a specific purpose.
One of the new games is a full package that includes an upper playfield module, new cabinet artwork, and progressive game rules. It's much less intimidating to casual players than a traditional game. People will be able to walk up to it, instantly understand what to do, and enjoy a gameplay experience that progresses from simple to extremely difficult.
The other 3 games are what we call "mini-games" that work with one or more existing upper playfield modules. One game is built from the LL-EE code base, works only with the LL-EE playfield module, and delivers a short, fun game that integrates the most interesting mechanisms on the playfield. Another game is a children's game that works with, and utilizes, any upper playfield module. The last game is one that works specifically with the dynamic and interactive lower playfield and wall/scoop assembly, regardless of which upper playfield module is installed.
I apologize for intentionally not including any pictures with this update. We'll do much better than pictures at TPF!
Anybody who signs up by the end of the TPF weekend to buy a P3 will get all 5 games for free with their purchase of the platform. Whether you're present at the show or not, you need only to fill out and submit one of our pre-order forms (available at http://www.multimorphic.com) before Sunday, March 20th 2016 at 11:59pm CST. As is our policy, we won't ask for any payments until we start the manufacturing process on your machine, at which time you can decide to follow through with your order or cancel it with no penalty. Orders will be processed in the sequence they are received. Feel free to submit your forms now.
As with all of our promotions, all customers with an active pre-order on file participate in all new promotions offered prior to the manufacturing of their machine. This means that our earliest pre-order customers get these 5 games as well as everything they were offered previously, including Cosmic Cart Racing when it ships.
Please accept a sincere thank you on behalf of the entire Multimorphic team for supporting us throughout this endeavor. Your patience, support, and encouragement continues to motivate us all. With the platform design complete, much of our team is now focused on preparing for the manufacturing process and ensuring that our suppliers and contract manufacturing partners are successful in helping us build the most innovative pinball platform ever developed and deliver the best price-per-game value in the industry. Once all parts pass first article inspections and sample machines are built to our specifications and quality standards, we'll begin producing and shipping customer machines.
Feel free contact me directly with any questions or comments.
- Gerry
http://www.multimorphic.com

[solar value]

Just to keep this thread up to date - below is a flyer from Multimorphic about the new games they will be showing at the Texas Pinball festival in a couple of weeks. There is also an interview with Gerry from Multimorphic on the latest episode of This Flippin' Podcast, the interview starts at 1:43:

http://www.podcastgarden.com/episode/episode-17-remixed-an-evening-with-gerry-stellenberg_72685