How many points is that you're taking? Yeah. Yeah. All right. Why you got two pins with us All right. Why you got two pins with us this year? Yes, I do. Why? Well, I guess to back Yes, I do. Why? Well, I guess to back up, I've had electronics as a hobby since a real young age, like 10 years old. My uncle was a electronics tech in the Navy. And um yeah, I decided at an early age I wanted to know how to build video game hardware. That was what was the most interesting thing. So, I kind of, you know, went in that direction of digital logic and all that. I realized, hey, I can I know how these pinball machines work. All I just have to fire a coil or read a switch or turn a light on and there you go. But I also realized it's a lot cheaper to build electronics than to buy something. When I was a kid, I had no money. So, you know, build it all myself. You find some junk VCRs, take them apart, use the parts, make something new, make guitar pedals and things like that. So, I found out that you can buy uh junk So, I found out that you can buy uh junk playfields for very, very cheap compared to the actual game. A lot of games that, hey, that's great, but I wouldn't really want taking up space in my house forever, but oh, I can swap four playfields in. Sure. So, that's kind of how I got there. Uh, I think there was a there was a show I went to, the York show. There was a game that was a ballet night rider cabinet with a stern nougat playfield and a blackjack back glass. [clears throat] And I looked at that and I said, "Oh, these parts are all interchangeable." So, I just went wild from there. Excellent. Excellent. All right. Excellent. Excellent. All right. Did we get the why from everybody? Does Did we get the why from everybody? Does anybody have any follow-up why questions? You can't ask anything if you want. No, You can't ask anything if you want. No, you guys covered your wise. Check marks. you guys covered your wise. Check marks. We should put I should have printed bingo cards to be a honest gold stars. Yep. Gold stars. And all right, so where do Gold stars. And all right, so where do we want to go from here? Why not where? Let's go to where? And the examples of Let's go to where? And the examples of where questions. They just took off my screen while I was They just took off my screen while I was trying to read my uh where [clears throat] did you build it? Did you do it at home? Did you do it at a maker space? Someone please say they did it at a maker space. Actually, well, I already know that. We can pretend. Uh, you know, did you buy local? Did you Uh, you know, did you buy local? Did you buy online? Did you salvage parts as you were just saying? Um, and uh, you know, where can people see this other than here? Do you guys have any social media presence? Do you stick it on location anywhere? Uh, go to any other shows. So, those are the those are our wear examples. You can feel free to expand. And no, you're going last. Okay. Okay. I'm going to make him go first. I'm going to make him go first. All right. The wear I built it in my All right. The wear I built it in my garage. Now, did you already have a workshop in Now, did you already have a workshop in your garage or Well, yeah. I kind of put a corner in Well, yeah. I kind of put a corner in there when I Yeah. put together. Actually, I I started it at my apartment, then I moved in the garage when I bought a house. But, uh, my games are on location. Sometimes they're either at the Glenside Machine Shop in Center City, Glennside, PA, or at the uh, Delaware Pinball Collective. Excellent. Excellent. All right. All right. Where? So, my game was built in my Where? So, my game was built in my basement. Uh, if you get into pinball, you'll find that it just consumes all flat surfaces, all space you have. You should buy every tool you can think of or borrow them. You should never ever put them away because the second you put it away, you're going to need it again. Uh, so I have like four desks in my basement that are all covered in pinball things. Uh, at the the ceremony is at the end of a show, I then get to clean my basement and my wife is really happy until the next show. Um, mine has not been on location yet. Uh, so you can come visit it in my basement or it's went to Chicago Expo last year. It's planning to go again this year. And woohoo. woohoo. Uh, at some point in time I'll get it to Uh, at some point in time I'll get it to be reliable enough and happy enough that I'd love to stick it somewhere for a little while. Maybe down at EMP or one of these other little little places people can go and get their hands on it. But I'll just Yeah, build it into the back I'll just Yeah, build it into the back of a car and just like pull up at Target and let people play. Yeah, we definitely I will um I will I'll I'll tell you I will um I will I'll I'll tell you about my retirement idea later. Okay. Okay. Hey, I mean it fits in the back of my Hey, I mean it fits in the back of my Ford Flex if I take the head off. So, we'll just like, you know, my my dream is my dream is to sell the my my dream is my dream is to sell the house and travel around the world in a giant million dollar motor home bus with slide outs underneath for my pinball machine. and and then I'd have to never have to level them again because I just level the the rig every We'll work on the IP for the We'll work on the IP for the um where well think we can kind of um where well think we can kind of piggyback from what I said before Lynn's garage um garage Lynn's warehouse which is [laughter] Lynn's warehouse which is [laughter] essentially a pinballer maker space space garage ago it was a garage paper plastic wood uh parts lying around. I found some at actually found a good amount of parts at uh this one of the early uh uh flea markets for Pentastic, one of the first Pentastics. Um just in and around ripping them off other uh playfields where not really working and whatnot. Uh kind of similar to, you know, finding stuff that's junk. Um in fact, a uh if you see my game, it's got a EM score reel that's made it look like it's you're getting tickets, right? Um, and uh I ripped that off. I bought a [ __ ] junked uh excuse my language, a junked uh back of an EM with a bunch of score reels on it. And then there you go. Be resourceful, you know. Um, where else? I mean, now it's being worked on at uh at Lynn's uh warehouse, just some sort of a maker space. It's a pinball maker space. Now Lynn has It's a pinball maker space. Now Lynn has got his own seminar. Lynn, you brought that six machines. Five, six. Six. Six. Six. Six. Oh, yes. because circus um and and they Oh, yes. because circus um and and they are doing a seminar that starts immediately after this one. Um I would say it's 3:30, but you know, we'll see what you know, what schedule looks like. And where can you find King of the And where can you find King of the Arcade? Well, uh it travels around a little bit. A lot of times I'll be working at it with uh with Lynn help helping him out. Find it disassembled in my shop usually Find it disassembled in my shop usually [laughter] sometimes. No, but uh but then I've I've sometimes. No, but uh but then I've I've had it over at the pin the Southern New Hampshire Pinball Club in Nashville, New Hampshire, which um definitely can check that out at some point. I'll definitely have that back there. Um and then uh yeah, if you can come over my place when I'm testing it and there you go. It's pretty much where. All right. Um so because uh this is a Warhammer machine, this machine was built in a dark, dingy basement just like Warhammer if you're familiar with it. Um, so two locations at the basement of my house, uh, and also a bit at Lynn's place as well because, um, Lynn helps everyone. He's a fantastic soul. [laughter] We have We have Can I see the the where? Can I see the the where? Uh, where did you get? Uh, where did you get? Yeah. Can you Can you push my slide up Yeah. Can you Can you push my slide up to full screen, please? So, those two locations um, I source So, those two locations um, I source components um, both from Marco Pinball and Pinball Life. Those like my main two sources. Sometimes the internet, sometimes eBay has deals. you find stuff, weird stuff like kicking targets and and unique uh assemblies that you can't normally find anywhere else. So, do scour the net. Um there's tons of different sales people out there. You just got to dig for it. It's not even our secret. even our secret. Okay. Okay. [laughter] Okay. Okay. [laughter] Um and then where you can uh play this, Um and then where you can uh play this, if you want to play this, this is eventually going to be in Hometown Arcade in Norwood, Massachusetts. Um cool. cool. Uh I'll have this machine for play um Uh I'll have this machine for play um somewhere. We're going to sneak it somewhere in the lineup. They've got like 16 games, so they're pretty much jammed in there, but um we'll work it out. So, that's it. Excellent. So, my my next question uh Excellent. So, my my next question uh following up on this is coin doors. Okay. Okay. Did all of you put coin doors in your Did all of you put coin doors in your machines? Yes. Yes. Why? Why? It was there when I bought the cabinet. It was there when I bought the cabinet. That's the number one answer. That's the number one answer. It's cuz you buy a cabinet that already It's cuz you buy a cabinet that already has it in there. Yeah. Yeah. But if you're never going to put the But if you're never going to put the machine on location, why do you need the coin door? So, you can get So, you can get Well, you could put something else Well, you could put something else there. It's so satisfying to open and fiddle with. Or is it the nostalgia of wanting coin Or is it the nostalgia of wanting coin mechs on it? [laughter] Mine doesn't have coin mechs because the Mine doesn't have coin mechs because the playfield will smash them. So I have a door [laughter] and I have a slot and there are no coin mechs. So they and there are no coin mechs. So they just fall on the bottom now, right? Because you don't need the coin right? Because you don't need the coin mech because you're never going to put it on. It's such a nice door. It's such a nice door. So it's it's one of these things where So it's it's one of these things where I've seen people spend hundreds of dollars on coin doors with coin mess for a homebrew machine. I I can also there's one more reason I I can also there's one more reason mine has one. My controller has magnets in it and I can stick it to the coin door when I'm servicing the game. So that's why it'll stay there. That's a good point. That's a good point. Okay. Did Did uh where where were we? Okay. Did Did uh where where were we? Where? Did everybody get a good where? Did we answer the where question? Can I can I answer one more? Um Can I can I answer one more? Um eventually I don't know. Yes. Yes. Yes. Can I Yes. Yes. Yes. Can I stick where there kid? Okay. Yeah. EMP. stick where there kid? Okay. Yeah. EMP. They're going to have a home room uh room eventually and uh that will be there too. Huh? a home room. Did I say home room? It's just a It's Did I say home room? It's just a It's just a closet. You could find it. [laughter] Just gonna All right. So, uh, when this is the this All right. So, uh, when this is the this is the when did you start question, but also uh when do you feel this thing's ever going to be truly finished? And, um, you know, when did you first get into pinball and tinkering with these damn things and to actually want to do this besides getting inspired? Now, who wants to go first? Someone in the middle this time. I I'll go. There you go. You're welcome. Put it back up for one more second. I Put it back up for one more second. I got to read them again. Uh so when uh I got into pinball when I Uh so when uh I got into pinball when I was You don't have to answer all the You don't have to answer all the questions. You can just pick. Um Um uh I had I had a flash that I had in uh I had I had a flash that I had in high school. I didn't have pinball for a long time and then maybe 15 years ago or something. My wife found uh a game on the side of the road that someone was getting rid of and and convinced them to help her get it in the car. Brought it home and I was told it didn't work. And I and I was an old what's the um the ski game the home home version ski game I forget who it's by. Anyway, uh all I need to have was a reset button done and so we had our first game back in the house and then it's kind of gone from there. Um when for timing I'm uh somewhere in like the two to 2500 hours on the game at this point in time. They I I'd say if you have a if you want to get into it and you've got people that are excited to help you, then by all means take their help. Um, a lot of the game I did myself, uh, Aaron here helped, John helped. I've got some people doing coding for me. Uh, my motion control system was done by my buddy Craig. Um, but the mechanics, the art, the graphics, like all that stuff, it just it sort of all adds up. Um, it's it's fun. It's challenging, but to kind of see it come together is exciting. It's exciting to bring it to the shows. And as far as being done, uh I wanted I the next big thing to do is to do Playfield art and then get a new Playfield cut and do and then swap everything to the new Playfield. That will hopefully signify that I'm like done with it. Uh but it's a big step and it's going to cost a decent amount of money. So I wanted to get uh get it to a few So I wanted to get uh get it to a few shows, get people playing it, see the challenges, figure out how I want to improve the game, uh add new mechs. I don't mind taking a whole saw to this playfield uh like I did four weeks ago and then putting a new feature in, but once I get it uh printed and clear coated, I'm pretty sure I won't want to do that again. So, that'll mark my kind of done moment. So, that'll mark my kind of done moment. Out of whitewood to the final print. Out of whitewood to the final print. Yeah, Yeah, we're doing the wanking the we're doing the wanking the Yeah. Do you need to see the slot? Yeah. Do you need to see the slot? Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So, Sinbad Sinbad was Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So, Sinbad Sinbad was originally a Cleopatra that I had restored. It had a melted transformer. restored. It had a melted transformer. So, I converted it all the switching power supplies and only three voltages, all that kind of stuff. Then, uh, so I spent about two months doing that in 2022. 2023 the w sometime in the winter I came across a sinbad with a rust with a really rusty cabinet for like 200 bucks. So I just took the playfield out and dropped it in there. Put the uh stuff in the back of it. Reprogrammed it. I think I spent about two or three months doing that. And then uh skate or die. I spent about two months off and on two months putting the playfield back together because it was pretty much not populated. Um, but the rest of it I put it together over a month. I got it flipping the Tuesday before last. Fantastic. So, I've just been working on mainly code for the past year on that. Deadlines. Deadlines often make it Deadlines. Deadlines often make it happen. And this is what I'm going to say to you people that I said bring me a flipping pin. Set a deadline on it. You know, like you're going to bring it here next year and and do this cuz if you don't, you're going to be like me and it's just never going to get done. It's what I did two years ago. It's what I did two years ago. Yeah. Well, and and for a couple of you, Yeah. Well, and and for a couple of you, I've called you out and go, "No, you're bringing me a pin next year." Um, is that how I got here? is that how I got here? That's actually how you got here. That's actually how you got here. I've apologized to your wife a dozen I've apologized to your wife a dozen times already. She's lovely. Um, [clears throat] Aaron, you were already like on the fence. It's just you needed a deadline. So, deadlines are kind of important to drive the win. I need a kick in the ass is what I need. I need a kick in the ass is what I need. You need to be reminded how hard this You need to be reminded how hard this is. Yes. Yes. And it's okay to fail because you're And it's okay to fail because you're going to because that's pinball. You always drain. Emily, you got a question? Go ahead. Emily, you got a question? Go ahead. For for more this more for uh the game For for more this more for uh the game like when you're designing um how much does like the IP uh for your design process versus I just want this shot. I like this or I like this and screw the IP to that point, you know? Yeah, that that's Yeah, that that's what you consider higher. what you consider higher. That's a great question. That's a great question. Can I answer that? Can I answer that? Yeah. Well, because you you actually Yeah. Well, because you you actually specifically don't have a defined IP. These two guys have a defined IP, but in your case, yes, you should take this question because I'm interested to hear what you have. So, a lot of times people will just start, you know, drilling into a play field and hope that something comes from it. And it usually does. It's like, oh, you know, this looks good for Goonies or this and that. You know, you never know what it could uh what it could be. Um, for me, I've always had a had a I don't know. I've always been into uh making your own thing, right? So, I had the idea of King of the Arcade like an AR like a a table that was that's in an arcade and you're playing in an arcade like in within the whole thing very meta you know I was very hip hip at that time uh playing around with that but um then those type of things when for me when I had that little peak of inspiration I'm like well I'm really a huge fan of theme integration so if I'm in an arcade Then why am I shooting this? Why am I going to here? Oh, this is fun. I want to make the game fun, but I still have some sort of like I want it to make sense, too. There's you, you know, we see games out there where it's just kind of like, okay, the the maybe a a design like a a theme was just kind of plopped on. There's a mixture of both. I would say I don't think everybody has that definitive um saying like yep I want to have everything al together put artwork into it make sure it's 100% theme integration some people don't work that way that's how I work so for you guys who followed a very and so for you guys who followed a very and I worked in video games for a while and uh when you're dealing with a a brand asset you really focus on that now you two uh border well video games wonderfully borderlands too. I mean, you had all sorts of beautiful assets and things to choose from. For me, uh, part of the thing with like For me, uh, part of the thing with like all these building ideas in my head over the years was these cute little mechanisms. Like, I'm a big fan of like physics and and interacting with real, you know, real toys. So, like there's a a captive ball helix and there's a gravity ramp and there's a a cycling ball lock and so all these little mechanisms were ideas and it was like, let me build these little versions and make sure they work and then how do I fit them in the game? And then Borderlands was chosen as a theme. I wanted a video game. It was gonna be Final Fantasy 7. Uh Borderlands or um uh Bioshock was the other one. That would be That would be And so that'll be cool. And so that'll be cool. Next game. Next game. Next game. Next game. Borderlands was chosen because in Borderlands was chosen because in soouththing the internet, I found uh someone who had done a YouTube video with every single uh like scene in the game in one shot in high depth. and I was able to download it. And then I found another person that stripped every audio asset, put it in a zip file that was in a folder structure by character and level. And I was like, "Wow, that's it. We're doing Borderlands." Uh, so it was a lot of, you know, mechanism design first, laying out the playfield, and then going through the story mode and trying to get the assets and the theme to sort of lay over top and making the most sense. So, like you find Tiny Tina uh in the game, you're delivering, you're you're running around for her to get stuff, so you do the orbits and then she gives you two bombs to bring to the train track. So, you do the two ramp shots. Uh you have to take the things back to her garage, so you shoot the scoop. So, it in mine it works in some cases. In others, it's just like you hit the thing, the stuff happens because it it kind of works, it kind of doesn't. Yeah. And in your integration, what you Yeah. And in your integration, what you were if you were here last year, you can also see the video on on the YouTube channel from last year. had one of the the ball lock mechanism that you 3D printed and all of that and you don't get to see the detail uh from a foot away even under glass where it's on the playfield unless you really look at it. Um if you're curious me we'll take the glass off. There's a person who's a Borderlands There's a person who's a Borderlands super nut for a while there. I look at that and I go exactly I know exactly where that is in the game. I know where you got the inspiration from that. So I the theme integration there is just wonderful. And same with yours. Um I'm I'm not a miniature model painter. I don't know if anybody else in here is. So, I never got into actually playing Warhammer and those things, but your integration is is true to life as well. Yeah. And you don't have to really play Yeah. And you don't have to really play the game. Like, I am I'm I'm painter, but I don't play tabletop. I paint and I read. I like I like the story. Um, and so that's kind of where the whole thing came from because I was like, "Oh, I could really go like ham on on this whole thing and just pull whatever I want and shove it into the game and it'll work." See, like I I went with going or I went with um designing stuff first before I kind of started applying like actual integration or IP to my shots and my layout. Great question. Great question. Great question. Great question. Especially especially to the people that Especially especially to the people that are up here today. Really applicable a couple times. Um did everybody get to answer their when? No, you did not. We skipped you. We got No, you did not. We skipped you. We got an answer from you. You started yours eight years ago. Your All right. So, Aaron, when did you All right. So, Aaron, when did you start? Um, I' I'd say like officially I started like two years ago. Um, 2022 2023. 2022 2023. Yeah. I brought it to This is like my Yeah. I brought it to This is like my third Fantastic, but my first show. It just flipped. It just flipped. It flipped. It flipped. It just flipped. Um, It just flipped. Um, it flipped. You made the deadline and it it flipped. You made the deadline and it flipped. Yes. Achievement unlocked, my friend. Yes. And I You Yes. And I You got a flip and pin. got a flip and pin. And I built my own cabinet. Um, which is And I built my own cabinet. Um, which is incredibly hard to do. Um, but it's far easier to just buy one. Um, so that's why I have this. Um [laughter] so that's why I have this. Um [laughter] um but like my I guess you could say my when of when I got bit by the the pinball bug. Yeah. Um I was seven and I I think I was seven. Um my mom bought me this little tiny plastic like Jurassic Park Lost World pinball machine that was like uh spring powered and you like click it and it had like four or five pot bumpers in it and like couple rollover lanes. I loved that toy. I played it until it broke and then she bought me another one to replace it because I love that thing and it's like pinball's always been kind of part of my life. And I remember we went down to the Poconos's uh for break and we went to like an actual arcade and I had never seen a legitimate pinball machine before and there was a South Park pinball machine and I knew about South Park and cuz mom did not like South Park but I [laughter] was with my dad and we got in front of that game and I lost my mind. It was a pinball machine that flipped and made Bart noises and it was awesome. [laughter] And ever since then, I have loved pinball truly to my soul. So that's where I started. There we go. There we go. So my when was two years ago and I mean So my when was two years ago and I mean it's been a hell of a progress or I mean I I if you guys were here uh last year, this game was different. This layout was not the same. And so I ripped my entire layout and I redid it what uh to what it is today. I took everything I didn't like in the game and redesigned and now I actually like it. Okay. So, last last one question that Okay. So, last last one question that I've I've always wanted to get out of everybody is is like when is it finished, right? And that's when is yours going to be finished? When are you going to start super gluing miniature self-painted miniatures on this thing and stop worrying about geometry and other stuff? When is that point going to happen? Okay. Um Okay. Um and when is done? and when is done? When when is done? Done is when When when is done? Done is when done is when you can go all the way with done is when you can go all the way with the code. You can go all the way to the wizard mode and start back at the beginning. Like you've done you've done a wizard mode. Once that is fully progressible where you can go through each mode, do the entire thing, see all all the, you know, uh, features of the game and get back to the start, that's done. That's truly done for me. Okay. Well, so you have higher standards Okay. Well, so you have higher standards than the pinball manufacturers in the world. [laughter]