Ep 57: Pinball Story

Final Round Pinball Podcast·podcast_episode·1h 12m·analyzed·Jun 14, 2022

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.035

TL;DR

Jeff reports from IFPA 17 Worlds and discusses Fathom 2.0 shipments and upcoming Toy Story reveal.

Summary

Final Round Pinball Podcast Episode 57 features hosts Jeff Theolis and Martin Robbins discussing their recent absences from podcasting, Jeff's trip to the IFPA 17 World Championship in Florida and subsequent 10-day father-son baseball road trip, and updates on Haggis pinball machines shipping. Key topics include Keith Elwin concession in the World Championship against Escher (game 9 of a best-of-nine), positive reception of Fathom 2.0, upcoming show commitments (Brisbane Masters, Pinfest Newcastle), and speculation about Jersey Jack's upcoming Toy Story pinball machine.

Key Claims

Jeff qualified legitimately (top 64) for IFPA 17 World Championship at Pinball Asylum in Florida
high confidence · Jeff Theolis on Final Round Pinball Podcast 57, describing his qualification and performance
Keith Elwin conceded/withdrew in game 9 of a best-of-nine match against Escher after Escher scored over a million on Dialed In!!, after 4.5 hours of play
high confidence · Jeff Theolis witnessed the match and describes it firsthand; also mentions it was tied 3-3 after six games
Fathom 2.0 has shipped to customers in Australia and North America; feedback on new code is positive
high confidence · Martin Robbins discusses feedback received; mentions code feels like 1981 Fathom out of the box with new code options
Toy Story pinball was revealed/announced at Pintastic (Boston area) on a Tuesday (implied to be in June 2023)
medium confidence · Jeff mentions 'I believe it's going to be revealed Tuesday, your time' and expects Toy Story reveal before episode airs
Jersey Jack informed Martin 4-6 years ago (roughly around Hobbit's release) that Toy Story would be their next game
medium confidence · Martin states: 'I was told, I'm going to say four, five years ago, maybe even six years ago...someone from Jersey Jack was there and they told me that Toy Story was their next game. And that was after Hobbit.'
Pintastic New England tournament grew from 1 IFPA tournament to 3-4 IFPA tournaments
high confidence · Jeff mentions conversation with Steven Bowden about wishing for more tournaments at Pintastic; 'Pintastic has now gone from one to, I believe, three or four'
Eric Stone was 'easily the favorite' at IFPA 17 Worlds, playing at his own venue (Pinball Asylum)
high confidence · Jeff states Eric Stone was favorite; references his own pinball profile episode 300 prediction
Haggis is committed to Brisbane Masters and Pinfest Newcastle
high confidence · Martin confirms live on podcast: 'we've committed to Brisbane Masters. We've also committed to Pinfest in Newcastle'

Notable Quotes

“This podcaster is the only one that was there. And not only was there, was standing beside Keith as Escher was playing and blew up, dialed in.”
Jeff Theolis @ ~15:00 — Jeff emphasizes firsthand witness account of Keith Elwin concession, contrasting with speculation from other podcasters
“I see it as nothing other than a classy move by him to say, congratulations you did it...I don't care what anybody says. You're not Keith Elwin.”
Jeff Theolis @ ~18:00 — Jeff's interpretation of Keith's concession as respectful rather than quitting; defends the move against criticism
“It feels like a 1981 Fathom out of the box, which was validation because we have spent a lot of time dialing in the flippers, hardware and software, to get them to play like the original Fathom.”
Martin Robbins @ ~38:00 — Describes design philosophy for Fathom 2.0: recreating classic feel while adding new code elements
“Pinball in the Northwest is just so bloody massive...you can't walk down certain streets in Seattle without seeing an arcade or two.”
Martin Robbins @ ~48:00 — Highlights regional differences in pinball infrastructure and community strength; identifies Northwest as pinball hotbed
“We haven't seen it. Here's what can go wrong. Oh, it's not the original voices. Maybe they are. Maybe they aren't.”
Jeff Theolis @ ~60:00 — Acknowledges unknowns about Toy Story pinball design choices and potential sources of fan disappointment
“If it's following the story of one of the movies, then you already know what's going to happen in the game. Whereas...if it's the Toy Story universe...you can do whatever you want, that makes a better pinball machine.”
Jeff Theolis @ ~62:00 — Articulates design philosophy preference: universe-based gameplay over strict movie narrative adaptation
“Jersey Jack has said, okay Stern, you've got to step it up a little bit, and Stern certainly has.”
Martin Robbins — Comments on competitive dynamic between manufacturers and Jersey Jack's influence on industry quality standards

Entities

Jeff TheolispersonMartin RobbinspersonKeith ElwinpersonEscherpersonEric StonepersonDanielepersonRaymond DavidsonpersonDavid DenholtzpersonDamien

Signals

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competitive_signal: Keith Elwin's concession at IFPA 17 (game 9 vs Escher on Dialed In) generates community discussion about competitive honor, energy levels, and defining moments in tournament play
high · Jeff witnessed and described the concession as 'classy move' despite community expecting dramatic table-flip; contrasts with Escher's concurrent concession on F14 Tomcat
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product_launch: Fathom 2.0 machines shipping to customers in Australia and North America; positive reception at Northwest show; code feedback validates design intent to recreate 1981 original feel while adding new content
high · Martin reports email praising '1981 Fathom' feel; mentions 'only a few out there'; feedback described as 'very good' with 'really quite minor' negatives
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event_signal: Pintastic Boston expanded from 1 to 3-4 IFPA tournaments; reflects broader trend of consolidating tournament experiences; allows players to maximize competition per trip investment
high · Jeff cites conversation with Steven Bowden about maximizing tournament experiences; mentions similar multi-tournament weekends at District 82, Delaware Collective, Wizards World, Brisbane Masters
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rumor_hype: Toy Story pinball reveal speculated for Pintastic Boston; Jeff expects Tuesday reveal before episode airs; generates pre-release discussion about design choices (original voices, movie vs universe scope)
medium · Jeff states 'I believe it's going to be revealed Tuesday'; Martin reveals 4-6 year development timeline starting after Hobbit; speculation about voice talent and narrative scope
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Transcript

groq_whisper · $0.216

0:00

The Pinball Network is online. Launching final round pinball podcast. It's player versus player and player versus machine. Welcome to the final round.

0:40

Hi, I'm Geoff Theolis. I'm also part of final round. What? Which, it's been so long I don't even know what episode it is or who I am. But I don't yet. It's Martin Robbins. This is the final round pinball podcast. Episode, I don't know. It's either between 54 and 57. Or none of those. Who knows? I have no idea. It has been so long. Why? What have we done? Why are we not podcasting as much as we used to? What's going on? We're busy is the summary of it, which everybody out there, I can hear them collectively going, boo, no one gives a fuck. Fuck you. We're busy. We are busy, but you've been away. Oh, so it's my fault. Is thank you for saying it, but... Couldn't pick up the slack? No, we could have recorded, but it was just not great timing, and I just said to you, go on your road trip and we'll come back, because then we'll at least have something to talk about. Maybe. We have no idea. We don't know. Once again, clean slate, no show notes, mics go on.

1:49

We're talking crap. We are going to be talking about the boys. So for those people that just want 100% pinball talk, We cannot guarantee that. We will continue our streak of making sure this is not completely a pinball show and do whatever the F we want. Correct. Okay. It is good to be talking to you once again. In fact, seriously, you and I have talked, what, twice in the last five weeks maybe? Maybe? Oh, I feel like it's maybe a bit more than that, but I'm also acutely aware that the amount of times that we talk compared to regular is down. Nothing has happened between us. Marty's the same cunt he was before we took a little break. Oh, more so. Thank you. I have definitely kept my status up.

2:35

Keith Elwin beat Jeff in their first-round match 4-0 in all four games played, including Warlock and Avengers

high confidence · Jeff describes first-round matchup; Keith picked Avengers, Jeff picked Warlock; Keith won decisively

Northwest Arcade and The The Pinball Show (June version) had positive feedback on Fathom 2.0 machines on display in Fast Pinball booth

high confidence · Martin mentions Fathom 2.0s were at Northwest show; 'Feedback on the code has been really good'

“I was told, I'm going to say four, five years ago, maybe even six years ago...someone from Jersey Jack was there and they told me that Toy Story was their next game. And that was after Hobbit.”

Martin Robbins @ ~55:00 — Reveals long development timeline for Toy Story, raising questions about game complexity and polish expectations

“I'm not going to question Keith, and I'm sure someday he'll tell us his story.”

Jeff Theolis @ ~28:00 — Respects Keith's autonomy while leaving door open for future explanation of concession decision

“I think this is a great, great license. I think I have full faith that this machine will be as good as all their other machines...They push the envelope.”

Martin Robbins @ ~69:00 — Expresses confidence in Jersey Jack's execution capability while acknowledging fan expectations management as challenge

IFPA 17 World Championshipevent

Northwest Arcade and Pinball Showevent

Pinfest Newcastleevent

design_philosophy: Discussion of Toy Story design approach: whether game follows movie story literally (high FOMO risk) vs universe-based theme with creative freedom; Star Wars cited as example of high expectations challenge

high · Jeff contrasts movie-narrative approach (predictable) with universe approach (surprises possible); cites Jurassic Park as example of IP used creatively; mentions 'Star Wars effect' of setting unmet expectations

product_strategy: Toy Story pinball in development for 4-6+ years post-Hobbit; raises questions about long development cycles, polish expectations, and whether extended timeline guarantees quality

medium · Martin states he was told about Toy Story 'four, five years ago, maybe even six years ago' after Hobbit; notes extended timeline could mean 'the best game ever' or just long gestations

industry_signal: Jersey Jack's quality and innovation influences Stern to improve; creates positive competitive dynamic raising industry standards; Martin describes JJP as forcing Stern to 'step it up'

high · Martin: 'Jersey Jack has said, okay Stern, you've got to step it up a little bit, and Stern certainly has'

venue_signal: Pacific Northwest (Seattle/Oregon) identified as major pinball hotbed with dense arcade/venue infrastructure; compared favorably to other North American regions

high · Martin: 'you can't walk down certain streets in Seattle without seeing an arcade or two'; 'real hotbed for pinball, probably more than any place I know in North America'

personnel_signal: Haggis team structure: Damien (founder/show advocate), Martin Robbins (visuals/design), Greg (code); Martin clarifies he's 'more than just working there' but not official spokesperson

high · Martin discusses roles: 'pretty much a lot of what you actually see with your eyes on the game is what I've done, and then the code as well...we team up'

market_signal: Damien reportedly wants to attend every show; demonstrates manufacturer value in fan interaction, storytelling, and direct feedback; contrasts with remote/limited-show strategies

medium · Martin: 'if he could go to every single show, he would go to every single show because he likes talking to people...interacting with customers, fans, critics, whatever it is'

content_signal: Final Round hosting absences linked to Jeff's competing commitments (IFPA 17, 10-day baseball trip, family travel); creators acknowledge listener frustration while defending prioritization of live experiences over content production

high · Jeff: '20, 30 out of the last 35 days' away from home; Anne (wife) also traveling; Jeff chose podcast over time with wife mid-trip to justify listeners' patience

design_innovation: Fathom 2.0 design effort spent 'dialing in the flippers, hardware and software' to recreate original 1981 Fathom feel; suggests attention to physics/tactile accuracy alongside rule complexity

high · Martin: 'we have spent a lot of time dialing in the flippers, hardware and software, to get them to play like the original Fathom. And I would say it plays like a snappy original fathom'

All right. You want to know what's going on? Forget the last two weeks. This is the last two months. Yours truly. Today, right now, I'll let you know, behind the curtain, it is my time. It is Monday, June 13th. It just rolled past midnight, so we're now into Monday. it is a holiday for you in australia celebrating queen elizabeth's birthday or something like that we don't do it in canada we celebrate victoria's she's been gone forever but we still so we forget queen elizabeth before we started recording you said oh we celebrate victor i went she's dead you know so not sure we need to celebrate her birthday anymore and you don't get one for queen elizabeth no we like the may hold the may holiday is much nicer so i don't I want to switch things around. May is good. You can have yours in June. That's fine. Okay. So today, the 13th, I arrived home hours ago, and I was on a 10-day trip with my son, Carson. We went to eight different baseball games in four cities over the 10 days and went to three baseball Hall of Fames. We went to two pinball events, which we'll talk about, and just went to Six Flags. It was a fun father-son trip that has been kind of in the works since the pandemic. My son missed his grad, his prom, his last year playing baseball with his buddies, you know, all that kind of stuff. So I want to do something special for Carson, and this is when it happened. So that was good. The only problem was, and there's no problem, but it was off the back end of me spending nine days in Florida for the IFPA 17 World Championship. So Anne has been away. Anne was in Portugal for a week. So I just had to introduce myself to my wife. We have been away from each other, I would say, 20, 30, 30 out of the last 35 days. Isn't that nuts? Can I ask a quick question? Is Anne back from Portugal? She was gone the week before I went to Florida, and then I went for nine days, and then I was home for four days, and then went on this 10-day trip, and I'm back. Oh, by the way, she's leaving on Wednesday for North Carolina. So what do I do with my time with my wife? I'm doing a podcast with you. For you, the damn listeners who don't give a shit about our show, you're welcome. Quick question for you as well, just to, because I don't know whether you've answered this on Facebook or not, but someone asked, which Six Flags did you go to? It's outside of, I guess it's west of St. Louis in Eureka, Missouri. So it was fine. It was good. You know, it's not as great as Canada's Wonderland in Toronto, but it's certainly better than a Darien Lake. It was fine. It was good. It was a hot, hot day. So we did six rides and we're like, okay, we're done. But it was great. Yeah, I keep forgetting. Now, the other side of the world, it's really hot. It's freezing here, so I couldn't imagine being outside at the moment. No, no, no. The Freckle Enhancer was working overload this week for sure, but it was good. So let's talk about the pinball stuff. Yes. Let's talk about the World Championships. Okay. That was IFPA 17. I actually qualified legit. Didn't need Herbert from Austria to not show up and me squeak in as the first in the queue. No, this was legit. I got in. So top 64 in the world, if you will, best two from every country, and then the remaining players. It was in Florida at the Pinball Asylum, a great location. David Denholtz did a good job. It was streamed on their Twitch feed in the Norma Jennings booth, so it was a very, very nice tribute to Norma, who recently passed away. Anyway, top 64 people. This is my second World Championships. My goal this time was simply somehow, someway, make the playoffs against all these great players. Mission accomplished. I did it. That was my goal. Shouldn't your goal be to win? I guess it should be, but I set my goals as doing better than the last time. So, I mean, yes, that would be great, but there's also a realistic situation in which I know I'm not going to win. Yeah. So that's a big deal. No, again, I guess it would be like saying my goal is to have a successful comedy career. Yeah, I get it. I understand. Take it easy.