Chicago Gaming Company Expanded Code for Cactus Canyon Still Coming, Not Close to Being Ready

Knapp Arcade·article·analyzed·Apr 25, 2023

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.012

TL;DR

Cactus Canyon expanded code still months away from completion

Summary

Chicago Gaming Company's expanded Cactus Canyon Remake code—the final project of legendary coder Lyman Sheets before his death—remains incomplete and not close to release. Josh Sharpe, who collaborated with Sheets on the expansion, disclosed that while rules design is finished, code, art, sounds, and speech still need significant work. No timeline was provided, though completion this year is unlikely.

Key Claims

Lyman Sheets was working on expanded code for Cactus Canyon Remake before his death
high confidence · Article states it was 'the last project that was worked on by the legendary pinball coder Lyman Sheats prior to his tragic passing'
Rules design for the Cactus Canyon Remake expansion is complete
high confidence · Josh Sharpe stated 'The rules design is complete'
Code, art, sounds, and speech implementation for the expansion are all incomplete
high confidence · Josh Sharpe: 'The code is not. The art is not. The sounds and speech are not.'
Rumored saloon doors modification may accompany the code expansion
medium confidence · Article mentions 'rumored saloon doors that go in front of Bart' as possibly related mod
Completion of the Cactus Canyon expansion this year is unlikely
high confidence · Josh Sharpe stated 'he wouldn't count on it being ready this year'

Notable Quotes

“much is left to implement. The rules design is complete. The code is not. The art is not. The sounds and speech are not.”
Josh Sharpe @ Posted on Pinside — Direct breakdown of remaining work on Cactus Canyon expansion, clarifying what is and isn't complete
“There's still a good amount of work to be done.”
Josh Sharpe @ Posted on Pinside — Reinforces that the project remains in relatively early stages despite fan anticipation
“he wouldn't count on it being ready this year”
Josh Sharpe @ Posted on Pinside — Manages expectations about timeline for release

Entities

Chicago Gaming CompanycompanyCactus Canyon RemakeproductLyman SheetspersonJosh Sharpeperson Pinsideorganization Knapp Arcadeorganization

Signals

~
sentiment_shift: High community anticipation for Cactus Canyon expansion code, with significant emotional weight given association with Lyman Sheets' legacy
high · Article opens with 'Fans and owners...have been anxiously awaiting' and notes additional significance of it being Sheets' final project
?
personnel_signal: Lyman Sheets' final project before death was Cactus Canyon expanded code; Josh Sharpe has taken over continuation of the work
high · Article states Sheets was 'working on the expanded code for the game' and this was 'his tragic passing' and that 'Josh Sharpe was working with Lyman on designing the expanded code'
?
product_strategy: Cactus Canyon expanded code project significantly delayed; rules complete but code, art, audio still incomplete with no timeline; unlikely to finish this year
high · Josh Sharpe statement that 'much is left to implement' and 'wouldn't count on it being ready this year' despite rules design being complete

Topics

Product Updates & DevelopmentprimaryChicago Gaming CompanyprimaryCode & Rules DesignprimaryCommunity Anticipation & DelayssecondaryPinball Industry Personnelsecondary

Sentiment

mixed(-0.3)— While respectful toward Lyman Sheets' legacy, the article delivers disappointing news about delays to a highly anticipated project. Tone is factual but the content disappoints community expectations.

Transcript

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Fans and owners of Chicago Gaming Company's Cactus Canyon Remake have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of new, expanded code and possibly some other sort of related mod such as rumored saloon doors that go in front of Bart for quite some time. The new code was the last project that was worked on by the legendary pinball coder Lyman F. Sheats Jr. prior to his tragic passing, making it even more anticipated. From the sounds of it Cactus Canyon Remake owners are going to have to wait a while longer. Josh Sharpe, who was working with Lyman on designing the expanded code for the game, stated on Pinside yesterday and again this morning that while much of the new code is done, "much is left to implement. The rules design is complete. The code is not. The art is not. The sounds and speech are not." He went on to add "There's still a good amount of work to be done." No specific timetable was given for the expansion's arrival, Josh stated that while it's possible, he wouldn't count on it being ready this year.