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Slam Tilt returns with personal updates, Silver Ball Saloon tournament recap, and industry news.
Bruce Nightingale opened the Silver Ball Saloon bar in East Rochester, New York, and has been operating it for about a month
high confidence · Bruce stated: 'The Silver Ball Saloon in East Rochester, New York' and 'we're up and running, and we had our first tournament. We've had our first – we're actually a month into the bar'
Bruce's tournament at Silver Ball Saloon had 24 players including past podcast guests
high confidence · Bruce: 'I had 24 people, including Ron Hallett Jr. and the Pinball Princess' and lists Steve Daniels, Eric Russell, Jason Plourd, and Zach as attendees
Andy Cushman won Bruce's tournament, Steve Daniels came second, Bruce came third
high confidence · Bruce: 'Andy Cushman won. Steve Daniels came in second, and I came in third.'
Guardians of the Galaxy code has excessive call-outs and lacks proper sound licensing from the movie
high confidence · Ron: 'the machine literally doesn't shut up. It's just like call out after call out after call out' and 'they couldn't get the sound from the movie. It's so weird. I don't understand. They have, like, clips from the movie, but then instead of just playing, like, it's like they couldn't get the sound from the movie'
Guardians of the Galaxy has four songs: Hooked on a Feeling, Cherry Bomb, I Want You Back (Jackson 5), and Ain't No Mountain High Enough
high confidence · Ron: 'Now they've added Jackson 5. I Want You Back. And what was the other one they added? Ain't No Mountain High Enough by Martin Gay and Tammy Terrell'
Lonnie Robb is coding Guardians of the Galaxy
high confidence · Ron: 'Who did the code, Bruce?' Bruce: 'Lonnie Robb did the code'
Kingpin remake is being worked on by Circus Maximus
high confidence · Ron: 'And we got Kingpin. Oh, yes. It's being worked on by Circus Maximus'
Ron booked a room for the NYC Pinball Championships at $229 per night at the Skyline Hotel
high confidence · Ron: 'I booked a room. Really? Oh, my. Yes. I booked a room' and '$229 a night. At the fabulous Skyline Hotel'
“I'm your host, Ron Hallett, here with my co-host, Bruce Nightingale.”
Ron Hallett @ ~0:30 — Standard intro establishing the podcast hosts
“Ron, first I want to say so sorry about your mom...Ron had a bit of personal issues, and unfortunately his mom passed away.”
Bruce Nightingale @ ~2:45 — Expressing condolences for a significant personal loss affecting Ron and setting context for the episode's opening tone
“If you smoke, consider quitting. Yes. If you saw what my mother had to go through, believe me, you would quit instantly.”
Ron Hallett @ ~4:00 — Public service announcement about smoking-related health issues (emphysema) affecting Ron's family
“The Silver Ball Saloon in East Rochester, New York. And you can find us on Facebook at The Silver Ball Saloon.”
Bruce Nightingale @ ~6:30 — Official naming and location announcement of Bruce's new bar
“I think Josh Sharp has given up the podcast whore title to Bruce Nightingale. You are our new podcast whore.”
Ron Hallett @ ~9:45 — Humorous acknowledgment of Bruce's frequent appearances on multiple pinball podcasts
“the machine literally doesn't shut up. It's just like call out after call out after call out...they couldn't get the sound from the movie. It's so weird.”
Ron Hallett @ ~27:15 — Critical feedback on Guardians of the Galaxy's audio design and code issues during beta testing
“I got no room. You got plenty of freaking room. I've proven this to you yesterday...You have two other empty bedrooms.”
Ron Hallett @ ~42:30 — Humorous exchange about space constraints for acquiring more pinball machines
“Kingpin...Around 65,000, 7,000. Right way, if they price it out at AFM pricing, I think they can sell a lot of them.”
Bruce Nightingale @ ~46:30 — Pricing speculation for the Kingpin remake
code_update: Guardians of the Galaxy beta code (.75-.80 versions) receiving critical feedback for excessive call-outs and lack of proper movie audio licensing; community concern about rule depth and gameplay balance
high · Ron: 'the machine literally doesn't shut up...they couldn't get the sound from the movie' and 'needs a lot of work, code-wise'
venue_signal: Silver Ball Saloon bar and pinball arcade in East Rochester, New York opened by Bruce Nightingale approximately one month prior; hosting tournaments and competitive play
high · Bruce: 'The Silver Ball Saloon in East Rochester, New York...we're up and running, and we had our first tournament. We've had our first – we're actually a month into the bar'
event_signal: Silver Ball Saloon held first tournament with 24 participants including competitive players and past podcast guests; Andy Cushman won, Steve Daniels second, Bruce third
high · Bruce: 'I had 24 people...Andy Cushman won. Steve Daniels came in second, and I came in third.'
machine_intel: Guardians of the Galaxy pinball machine in active beta testing at Rock Fantasy venue with sound design issues and overly complex ruleset; Lonnie Robb handling code updates
high · Ron: 'I went to the Guardians of the Galaxy launch party...We were beta testing' and detailed issues with call-outs and gameplay
product_launch: Houdini by American Pinball has shipped to customers ahead of the company's stated deadline by two days
high · Ron: 'Houdini has shipped. Shipped. They got the shipment out two days before their deadline'
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Houdini by American Pinball has shipped ahead of schedule
high confidence · Ron: 'Houdini has shipped. Shipped. They got the shipment out two days before their deadline'
Mark Ritchie left Williams during Indiana Jones development and was involved in litigation that prevented him from designing games until moving to Capcom
medium confidence · Bruce: 'he left williams either before or right as indiana jones the pinball venture came out which was his last game there... he was involved in a lawsuit... he was sitting there and he couldn't design anything... it wasn't until they settled or whatever happened that, boom, then he could work on Kingpin'
“I booked a room...The only thing about it is this is a pure tournament...they said they might have some games out there for play, but for the most part it's going to be tournament.”
Ron Hallett @ ~61:00 — Confirmation of attending NYC Pinball Championships and clarification of tournament-focused format
“And congratulations to Trent Augustine, who is the 2017 IFPA Player of the Year. To no one's surprise, as he won like almost every tournament under the sun.”
Ron Hallett @ ~65:30 — Recognition of top competitive player's achievement
announcement: Kingpin, a classic Capcom pinball game, is being remade/worked on by Circus Maximus; community interest in potential reproduction or update
medium · Ron: 'And we got Kingpin. Oh, yes. It's being worked on by Circus Maximus.'
event_signal: NYC Pinball Championships 2025 announced with room blocks available at Skyline Hotel; tournament-focused format with limited casual play options; major competitive players attending including Trent Augustine and Raymond Davidson
high · Ron: 'the New York City Pinball Championships. They announced the room blocks are now available' and 'I booked a room' and 'they got – the one is there. Raymond Davidson is there'
industry_signal: This Week in Pinball (Twippies) year-end awards ceremony scheduled for live broadcast Friday, January 19th; hosted by Zach and Greg from Straight Down the Middle; multiple categories covering game design, community content, and hardware modifications
high · Ron: 'This Week in Pinball Awards...which is going to be, let's see, live Friday, January 19th. So the host will be Zach and Greg from straight down the middle'
operational_signal: Silver Ball Saloon experiencing typical arcade maintenance issues: coin mechanisms, GI connectors melting on Sword of Fury, stuck switches and flippers; Grand Prix machine particularly problematic with GI backbox and chime box failures
high · Ron: 'Coin mechs have been the biggest repair this past month' and 'blowing GI connectors on a Sword of Fury' and Grand Prix 'The GI first took a dump on the back box'
design_philosophy: Capcom pinball games criticized for linear gameplay design; exception noted with Big Bang Bar which features ramp-spinner variety; Kingpin remake would need ruleset updates to move beyond linear structure
medium · Bruce: 'they're linear. Oh, okay, another hatred of linear. That's the flaw with Capcom games. All their games are linear, except for Big Bang Bar'
licensing_signal: Guardians of the Galaxy pinball machine experiencing audio licensing challenges; unable to secure direct movie dialogue; relying on impersonators instead; affecting player experience and immersion
high · Ron: 'they couldn't get the sound from the movie...they have, like, clips from the movie, but then instead of just playing, like, it's like they couldn't get the sound from the movie. It's so weird'
community_signal: Growing interconnectedness of pinball podcasts with guest appearances, crossover references, and competitive awards; Bruce Nightingale appearing frequently across multiple shows; commentary on podcast culture and industry self-promotion
medium · Ron: 'I think Josh Sharp has given up the podcast whore title to Bruce Nightingale' and discussion of Head to Head Podcast and This Week in Pinball integration