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Pinball Triple Threat

Don's Pinball Podcast (patreon feed)·podcast_episode·47m 37s·analyzed·Mar 11, 2025
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claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.035

TL;DR

Don reviews Evil Dead, D&D, Avatar; teases Portal innovation, discusses TPF/MGC/Pentastic lineup.

Summary

Don Garrison provides an in-depth ownership and gameplay review of three recently acquired Stern/JJP machines—Evil Dead, Dungeons & Dragons, and Avatar—comparing their shot design, code depth, and long-term appeal. He discusses hardware quality issues (glass scratching, playfield chipping), mod development for D&D, and previews upcoming shows (TPF, MGC, Pentastic) with speculation about Multimorphic Portal, Barrels of Fun, and American Pinball release timelines.

Key Claims

  • Avatar CE is meaningfully better than LE due to topper, UV art, and armor differences, making it the preferred version

    high confidence · Don Garrison, direct ownership experience comparing CE and LE versions

  • D&D has superior code depth and character progression compared to X-Men, with better wizard mode execution

    high confidence · Don Garrison, comparative gameplay analysis of Stern games

  • Evil Dead's left orbit 180-ramp shot is unusually well-executed and consistent compared to historical 180-ramp designs

    high confidence · Don Garrison, specific shot design praise

  • D&D Pro playfields have reported chipping at the scoop entry area, at least in one documented case after ~1000 plays

    medium confidence · Don Garrison, anecdotal report from friend with D&D Pro, not independently verified

  • D&D LE glass has had multiple warranty issues including scratching and clouding/adhesive blistering across several units

    medium confidence · Don Garrison citing distributor reports of 4+ cases, anecdotal

  • Multimorphic Portal has been shown under NDA and received praise for innovation that could be a 'twippy contender'

    medium confidence · Don Garrison reporting secondhand feedback from NDA attendees

  • Barrels of Fun will have a new game debuting at The Pinball Show (TPF) in approximately two weeks

    medium confidence · Don Garrison stating 'fair dinkum' (confident but informal language)

  • American Pinball's rumored new game will not appear at TPF or MGC (Midwest Gaming Classic)

    medium confidence · Don Garrison, reporting delays/no-shows

  • Dwight Sullivan's vision for D&D code development will be better realized than if Jack Wason or Tim Sexton continued the design

    medium confidence · Don Garrison, opinion on designer strengths and involvement

Notable Quotes

  • “How can you compare a live music concert with a Broadway performance with an IMAX movie? They each fill their niche, and when you're in the mood for one, the other ones just won't quite satisfy, right?”

    Don Garrison @ mid-content — Summarizes his philosophy on comparing three very different game designs; frames the decision as one of theme fit and playstyle preference rather than objective superiority

  • “Evil Dead almost plays like a JJP for as integrated as it is, you know, as wide-bodied as it is and as packed as it is. It seems more like a JJP game than it does a Stern.”

    Don Garrison @ mid-content — Key design observation that Evil Dead breaks Stern's typical aesthetic/mechanical template; implies deeper integration and packing philosophy

  • “There's a lot of code coming for this game and Dwight Sullivan is going to see to his vision a lot better than I think Wason or Tim Sexton would.”

    Don Garrison @ mid-content — Signals confidence in Dwight Sullivan's design leadership over other potential code designers; implies ongoing code update roadmap

  • “This game absolutely beats Elton John. Absolutely.”

    Don Garrison @ late-content — Direct comparison of Avatar favorably to recent JJP Elton John; uses strong language ('absolutely' twice)

  • “The CEs are ready, which again, that's probably going to be the one to get.”

    Don Garrison @ mid-late-content — Suggests Avatar CE production is complete and inventory available; implies LE/CE availability gap

  • “Portal is super strongly teased. People signed NDAs. They got down there. Hearing back from the people that have seen the game, they appreciated what they saw. They said that there was innovation there that's going to blow people's minds.”

    Don Garrison @ late-content — Describes Multimorphic's marketing/demo strategy and community hype building around Portal

  • “TPF is coming up. Evil Dead's are going to be there in abundance. Dungeons & Dragons will be there in abundance. Avatars will be there for sure. We're not going to see a new JJP, a new Stern.”

Entities

Don GarrisonpersonDwight SullivanpersonJack WasonpersonKeith ElwinpersonJack DangerpersonDungeons & Dragonsgame

Signals

  • ?

    product_concern: Multiple reports of D&D LE glass defects including scratching during normal maintenance and adhesive-related clouding/blistering. At least 4-5 units documented with warranty replacements.

    medium · Don's personal experience with 6-inch scratch after single glass removal; distributor reports of 4+ LE units with scratching and clouding; pattern suggests manufacturing process issue

  • ?

    product_concern: D&D Pro reported playfield chipping at scoop entry area after ~1000 plays; lack of cliff protection in design may be contributing factor.

    low · Single anecdotal report from Don's friend; owner ordering Mylar protection; Don unsure of broader prevalence

  • ?

    gameplay_signal: D&D left orbit shot sensitive to rubber type changes and playfield geometry tuning; low-bounce silicones change shot geometry, requiring reversion to standard rubbers; fine playfield leveling required for consistent play.

    high · Don's direct troubleshooting experience with rubber changes affecting shield-rest shots; identified as tuning issue rather than design flaw

  • ?

    design_innovation: Evil Dead praised for integrated, wide-bodied design philosophy resembling Jersey Jack machines more than typical Stern aesthetic; left orbit 180-ramp shot cited as exceptionally well-executed mechanical design.

    high · Don's direct comparison of Evil Dead to JJP aesthetic; specific praise for 180-ramp consistency vs. historical ramp rejection issues; mentions integration level

  • ?

    code_update: D&D receiving 'a lot of code coming' under Dwight Sullivan's direction; implies wizard mode and overall code improvements planned; positive reception to existing wizard mode execution.

Topics

Game comparison: Evil Dead vs D&D vs AvatarprimaryShot design and playfield mechanics analysisprimaryD&D code depth, character progression, and wizard modeprimaryHardware quality issues: glass scratching, playfield chipping, warranty experienceprimaryUpcoming shows: The Pinball Show, MGC, PentasticprimaryMultimorphic Portal NDA previews and innovation hypeprimaryManufacturing delays and release timeline uncertaintysecondaryLimited edition vs Standard edition value propositionsecondaryPinball mod development and customizationsecondaryAmerican Pinball Alice in Wonderland production statussecondary

Sentiment

positive(0.72)— Don is enthusiastic about all three games owned, praising their unique strengths. Hardware issues are reported matter-of-factly with positive resolution through warranty. Criticism of X-Men and Alice in Wonderland is specific and constructive. Optimism about upcoming shows and Portal innovation. Minor frustrations with mod sales management and game delays, but framed as logistical rather than product-quality issues.

Transcript

groq_whisper · $0.143

Early in the morning, rising to the street, light me up with cigarettes and I'll strap shoes on my feet. Hans Jr., Danny Klopsky, Barry Dave Christensen, Jorge Guerp, Julie ubriz, Radley Crespetotz, Arden C. Pat reasoning, rights arndtl Jean Karmack, Jordanna Adet��, We're not gonna take the L. We're gonna grab the W from the jaws of victory and we're gonna talk about some pinball. So as you know, Bradley no, thank you sir, as you know it started off with Evil Dead being delivered a few weeks ago man. It seems like I've had it for quite a while. And then that was quickly followed up with Dungeons & Dragons once the dragon quit smoking. And then we got Avatar as well. And so now I've had time to put some games on them, get them set up at home, start making mods for them. The Valley Company, Subsidiary of Walter Kidde & Co., Inc., Mirco Playfields, Tim Tim Kitzrow, Scott Danesi. Tim Tim Kitzrow, Scott Danesi, Tim Tim Kitzrow, All three different experiences and that's exactly what these three different games feel like. But Don, tell me, I got the money, I can only get one game, I got space for one, which one do I get? Which one's gonna have the longevity? Use your Nostradamus fourth sight and tell me like which one's the best way to go. I think objectively there's a winner. Objectively there's a winner. In intelligence and connectivity,ый훼 cryptocrypt защищенный Shifte acarate Spring The Valley Company, Subsidiary of Walter Kidde & Co., Inc., Mirco Playfields, Tim Tim Kitzrow, Scott Danesi. INDI... In Gonna Nats The Valley Company, Subsidiary of Walter Kidde & Co., Inc., Mirco Playfields, Tim Tim Kitzrow, Scott Danesi. The game feels good just on pinball terms, right? All the shots feel good. All the tropes that you've been hearing, you know, they're real. They're shared. I mean, you ask anyone. Ask Keith Elwin. He was playing just a couple other days at pinball at the beach. The shots feel good. Nothing feels rattly. When I was playing X-Men, you know, the shots and layout are very enthusiastically diverse from what we see from, you know, most cookie cutter institutions that produce pinball machines. and I appreciate that. All that's to say that it's got a unique layout. After a while though, you know, with the uniqueness of the shots set in, you're left with that rattle that just, you know, the rejection of the ramps. Just not super fun. Not super fun. And so, you know, traded that one in, got myself a D&D, and I see this game having some longevity. Supposed to be talking about Evil Dead. You don't find that in any of the shots here. I'm surprised every time that I hit that left orbit shot on Evil Dead, The one that goes to the quick 180 ramp. And typically 180 ramps can be hit or miss. I think it was best done on Jaws most recently as far as being able to consistently hit it and not get rejects. But I'm surprised, honestly, that that left orbit shot with the 180 wire form that goes into the pop bumper nest works as smoothly as it does. It's easy enough to hit. It's not a gimme, but it's not a tight shot like we'll talk about with the Eclipse ramp on Avatar. www.willywonka.com Dance, And I tried to update you really quick but I will say things again. Just show me. Here is some examples that you can use for good so far.ін www.willywinks.com wn-ast- THERE The Valley Company, Subsidiary of Walter Kidde & Co., Inc., Mirco Playfields, Scott Danesi. The Valley Company, Subsidiary of Walter Kidde & Co., Inc., Mirco Playfields, Tim Tim Kitzrow, Scott Danesi.ender rolls and putting game's on it again today uh... now that have been to distracted with engines and distracted with avatar swiss really reading it's really a fun game and if they were to drop another honitaro on a had to sell one of my spooky games to pick up the other one i don't this is all which one i would end up taking and uh... and yeah i think that people are still very excited for evil daily with but very hot right now The Valley Company, Subsidiary of Walter Kidde & Co., Inc., Mirco Playfields, Tim Tim Kitzrow, Scott Danesi. The other two games that I have, D&D has Evil Dead beat in some categories, Avatar has both of them beat in several other categories. I think you can't really go wrong with any one of these three right now, which makes it hard for me to say this one is objectively better than this because, again, how can you compare a live music concert with a Broadway performance with an IMAX movie? They each fill their niche, and when you're in the mood for one, the other ones just won't quite satisfy, right? I've got a cheezy cu- temps I don't know how much more short range this is gonna be. So, I think Evil Dead is f- art, come on franchise art. So if you're not into that theme, it's gonna be a little more of an easier decision for you if you were to go out and say I need a pick of one of these three games to get. So D&D, I spent a lot of time on this game. I'm loving this a lot more than X-Men, I'll tell you why. X-Men, and I know that Jack Danger wants to have code that's very much approachable by the general public, and he's not building it for strictly tournament players, which I totally appreciate. But this whole hit two ramps in a scoop and then, you know, pick one of these modes. Okay, this mode is you hit the three red shots. This one you hit the three purple shots. This one you got a couple of orange stand targets and then you have to hit the ramp You know it all kind of formulaic and kind of easy which is fine It fun to play But as far as longevity at home and I think you know people waiting on Wason to bang this coat out are really feeling this Like, once you do kind of everything, it's like, all right, well, how many more times do I want to go to the future? How many more times do I want to just randomly do modes and pick characters that don't seem to add any real tangible benefit, whether I get Magneto or I get Storm? The Valley Company, Subsidiary of Walter Kidde & Co., Inc., Mirco Playfields, Tim Tim Kitzrow, Scott Danesi. I think that would have added a lot. I think having a way to unlock other characters that have different attributes would have been fun. That was honestly the best part of Venom, and that was certainly lacking. So Dungeons makes up for that in spades, in black spades, in crystal wands, in wizard staffs. I would say. So, you know, picking one of four characters, I still don't really understand the nuance between all of them. I've really just been playing as Kevin Smith, and that's fine for me. I've played through the game now once. I chose to go and defeat Samastar, and it was a very well-coded, exciting wizard mode. During that gameplay where I actually got through to him, I actually beat the whole thing on ball one. So it was just, you know, one of those moments where you're just kind of in the zone,walkamendoa.com The Valley Company, Subsidiary of Walter Kidde & Co., Inc., Mirco Playfields, Tim Tim Kitzrow, Scott Danesi. The ball slings around, comes right back, but you kind of know what to expect. It feels very much like a Stern game. It doesn't feel like anything anybody else has on the market. Evil Dead almost plays like a JJP for as integrated as it is, you know, as wide-bodied as it is and as packed as it is. It seems more like a JJP game than it does a Stern. Nothing else really feels like a Stern at this point, and I think we could all agree there. So playing through the code again, I'm just kind of going through the motions now, doing There's a lot of code coming for this game and Dwight Sullivan is going to see to his vision a lot better than I think Wason or Tim Sexton would. And then Elizabeth is on this and she's writing modes and she gets it, man. I spent some time talking to her at the launch media party that we're having at Stern and she really seemed interested in, like, my feedback on things like X-Men. The Valley Company, Subsidiary of Walter Kidde & Co., Inc., Mirco Playfields, Tim Tim Kitzrow, Scott Danesi. The Valley Company, Subsidiary of Walter Kidde & Co., Inc., Mirco Playfields, Tim Tim Kitzrow, Scott Danesi. The Wally Winka Show, Knapp Arcade, Straight Down the Middle, Bally Williams, Straight Down the Middle, This is from D&D Pro hefted infields ad- Situation Agents at玩od Concertland type track Where there's much more gameplay and interactivity on the magnet. So there we go. Now I've got a friend of mine that is routing a D&D Pro and he has noticed that the entry to the scoop slash gobble hole behind the spinner, right in the middle there, into the Vuck, his playfield has chipped, which is not reassuring for me. So he's currently ordering a piece of Mylar to put over that area. I don't know how widespread this is. I will say that there's about a thousand games that have been played on that Pro. Welcome to the handball show, Knapp Arcade, crépital, entry point in Knapp's history and mass production, So we'll be looking for that. I haven't yet seen if it's happened to anybody else, but there is no kind of cliffy or anything over that area. Oh, here's interesting. So when I got my game, I took the glass off one time to remove the foam and everything and lift the playfield and clip all of the cable ties that needed to be clipped and everything and free up all the mechanisms. And then I put the glass back. Both times I had that coin door shut because when I'm adding or removing glass, it's just by habit, I always shut my door. I don't want to scratch it. So there was a long six-inch scratch right in the back quarter, back left of the Invisiglass on my game that I noticed. And I had only taken the glass out once, put it back once, and then noticed this huge scratch. And I know I didn't put it in there because I know to shut my coin door before I take my Invisiglass out of my cabinet. If you're cautious, you can of course risk it. But if the glass sags any, it can really scratch against an open coin door, and that's exactly where this spot is. www.invisiglass.com I don't even think they want this damaged piece of glass back at them. Talking to my distributor, there's been about four other people that he's had with LEs that have had a similar issue and got their warranty replacements. And a couple, I think there was two that had some sort of clouding issues on the glass where maybe, you know, that adhesive process to put that anti-glare coating on there for some reason had a mess up or a blister or something or some sort of discoloration. I don't know how it works. Maybe it's baked on. But they got replaced too, so that's awesome, okay? I noticed that there was an issue, reported it right away, it's under warranty, it's fixed, and I couldn't be happier about that. So that's kind of my gameplay ownership experience. I've been making some modular modifications for D&D, and people have already reached out and have been ordering them. And I haven't even, I just barely created them, and they're already going out. I had a guy with a pro, a new Patreon member, what's up buddy? Justin We're still working on the final version of the game. I hope you'll enjoy it. And I hope you'll enjoy the game. Don't forget to subscribe to our channel, turn on your notifications, and we'll see you next time. Bye for now. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Natchan Leto, Samuel moves Fanatical, Ari What is old cin pulley! They refused my signal, but I bet they would send me to the next hell. The old rolز van Akerson The left of the dragon from the right flipper. I've noticed when I first got the game, you had the black stern rubbers. I took those off, put on the low bounce silicones, and that messed up the geometry to where I couldn't get either of those shots resting against the shield, which kind of sucks, but the low bounce silicone Titan rubbers, they are, you know, different size than the big rubber ones, so that makes sense. So I went ahead and threw the rubber ones back on there, and then since then, I've not been able to consistently get that left orbit shot anymore The Ball Resting on the Shield Which sucks because it's a hard shot to get and it's a really easy way to do it. So I don't know if I need to tighten something up. I don't know if I need to just loosen, ever so slightly rotate a little counterclockwise, tighten back up, maybe just adjust that. I have my game absolutely level at absolutely a 6.5 degree tilt pitch. And so I got side to side, we're fine. But yeah, I think that might just be the issue. It's just enough play in there that it's kind of thwarting me slightly. So those are the issues and things that I've had with D&D. I have made a mimic chest. I posted a picture on the Patreon, so I'm sure you guys probably checked that out already. I close to having kind of a final working build What I gonna need though is a couple of people that have a Dungeons Dragons and wouldn mind test fitting this thing for me I send you the mods you install them and then you give me some feedback Let me know was it easy was it hard do you like it do you not like it And then just keep the damn thing I don care Probably two people is plenty. So if anybody's got a pro or an LE, I guess it would be good to have one of each. Now, they should be interchangeable, but I don't have a pro that I can test them on, so I would like at least one pro person. Reach out at donspinballpodcastgmail.com. And let me know you want to check out this Mimic thing. The Valley Company, Subsidiary of Walter Kidde & Co., Inc., Mirco Playfields, Tim Tim Kitzrow, Scott Danesi. The Valley Company, Subsidiary of Walter Kidde & Co., Inc., Mirco Playfields, Tim Tim Kitzrow, Scott Danesi. ALL T sinozo, Iylehi Ilh seal cgitrex America www.willywonka.com Ed O'Neill is a later The Valley Company, Subsidiary of Walter Kidde & Co., Inc., Mirco Playfields, Tim Tim Kitzrow, Scott Danesi. This game absolutely beats Elton John. Absolutely. We've all played Avatar on location, mostly the LEs because the CEs have only just been made. I just finally got mine. The CE is just a different beast. And it's the topper, it's some of the extra UV art, it's the shooter rod, I guess, it's the armor too, I guess. Like, those are all things I want. If I had the limited edition with that straight plastic topper, I think I'd be missing a lot of the game. www.subsidiaryofwonder.com www.willywonka.com This is the only one that I wanted if I was going to get it at all. And I'm glad I did. It's super fun to play here at home. And I already have a buyer sniffing around trying to get it from me. Because, of course, these are still a little bit slow in the rollout. And I've got an excellent version of it that's going to be modded respectfully and taken very good care of. And it sounds like there is a collector locally that is trying to get every Jersey Jack machine. And he's going to succeed, let me tell you. The Valley Company, Subsidiary of Walter Kidde & Co., Inc., Mirco Playfields, Tim Tim Kitzrow, Scott Danesi. The CEs are ready, which again, that's probably going to be the one to get. So I kind of want to have my avatar for a while. Like, if I had this 8 to 12 months, I think that's perfect. This is a fun game. It's a fun game to play through. I did the wizard mode today. I'm getting better at pinball or something. This game I was able to collect all the Pandora letters. I've done that a couple of times. I did it again here, and this time I actually got the ball into the scoop to play the little mini wizard mode, or main wizard mode, I don't know. It was super fun. Accomplishment-wise, I got there. It's fun every time you get a Pandora letter, there's a scene that plays out on the topper. It's just, it's the whole thing, you know, it's the whole thing. If you were going to go to, you know, a stage production of something and there was a cool animatronic mechanism in the stage show that wasn't working and the show was just in B-mode, you would feel like something's missing and that's kind of how I feel here. www.willywinks.com Plays Lei Ernesto 1890 in WITHheld Boarding, In GIVEN Unbooked, www.2ugustategame.ant Classic Mini By tous le Anders Solpack. Click on phone to swtich.comipingassociation.com I'm like, yeah, it's good, but I could have got the good one. You know, but we're all in different areas in our hobby, in our fandom, in our budgets. When I got Guns N' Roses LE, that was the right version to get, even though the CE did have some cooler graphics, an extra little coma scoop. The LE for there was certainly the way to go. But looking at what they've been doing, and I don't think the CE of Toy Story really added much, But since Godfather, since Elton John, and especially since Avatar, the CEs have been a step above. And so, I'm kind of thinking like, if Harry Potter comes out, if the layout is halfway decent, if it's got the magic of the movie, and it's pulling on my theme park heartstrings as much as I love the theme park areas, if it ties into that Hogsmeade, Hogwarts, Hogwarts Express, Hagrid's Hut, all that business, like, I'm gonna go all in and I'm gonna get the good one. www.willywonka.com I think I've got enough amusement out of that for me personally and we're all in different areas and things it's not a knock against anyone but I'm loving Avatar, I'm loving Evil Dead, I'm loving Dungeons & Dragons and all for different freaking reasons man. All for different reasons. So there, I hope that helps. You know, it helps to give you a perspective on how I'm feeling having these games and there's my review after having them for a couple of weeks in the house or in the case of Avatar like it's been less than a week. But I'm probably going to play it a couple more times tonight before I go to bed, even though it's 11 o'clock at night. What else is going on in the world of pinball? Portal is super strongly teased. People signed NDAs. They got down there. Hearing back from the people that have seen the game, they appreciated what they saw. They said that there was innovation there that's going to blow people's minds. Maybe a twippy contender for innovation in pinball, all of which is to say very high praise for Multimorphic. Okay, look. I know I've bagged on the P3 before. The Valley Company, Subsidiary of Walter Kidde & Co., Inc., Mirco Playfields, Tim Tim Kitzrow, Scott Danesi. www.willywonka.com The Willy Wonka Podcast is a production of Willy Wonka Media Group of the Museum of Natural Hilarity which is fine but the gameplay and the animations and the repetitive nature of the callouts and the scenes and things like it wasn capturing like what I wanted A madcap, loaded playfield of Weird Al weirdness is what I wanted. I wanted UHF on a playfield, and there's no mention of UHF at all. His film that he made, I wore that VHS tape out. www.indianajones.com The Valley Company, Subsidiary of Walter Kidde & Co., Inc., Mirco Playfields, Tim Tim Kitzrow, Scott Danesi. The Valley Company, Subsidiary of Walter Kidde & Co., Inc., Mirco Playfields, Tim Tim Kitzrow, Scott Danesi. The Valley Company, Subsidiary of Walter Kidde & Co., Inc., Mirco Playfields, Tim Tim Kitzrow, Scott Danesi. The Art for their officially licensed Attack from Mars Topper, which is quite good. And the dude, he's done other work too that escapes me, but check out Brad Brad Albright. So P3 have officially announced that he's working with them on a secret project. And like a doofus, I went in there and been like, who's the one working on Portal, right? I don't know, because I had two minutes and just wanted to put some quip out there without thinking. But I guess it's Portal. So the people that have seen it said that, again, you know, It's going to be a TPF. I'm going to be a TPF. I got my ticket. I'm heading down there. I'll be there Thursday evening. I'll find something to do to hang out. And then Friday I'll be there all day. Saturday I'll be there all day. And then I'm heading out early Sunday morning. So it's going to be fun. No booth this year. I'll see what I can bring. And hopefully we can do some giveaways. I thought what would be fun. Okay, back in the world of skateboarding, you would show up to the skate park on a Saturday and some skateboard company would come through there with their pro skaters and attract people. N Katy, Frank LaFaur, Arthur Kouoopi, and I'm Haseem Phine, winner, lead Video Main Event, A big new product toss. So the skateboard company would show up and they would have whether it be wheels, bearings, skateboard decks, T-shirts, cigarettes, something. And they would get all the kids together in like a big crowd and then they would just start launching their products up in the air, just toss them to the crowd. Skateboard decks, trucks, wheels, T-shirts, hot dogs, whatever, and the kids would go nuts like scrambling trying to grab them. And I thought, would this work in a pinball show? If like, you know, I went to, you know, we all met at one of the booths or something.uarvvpnhtow Anthem L WITH PTSA 2018 The Valley Company, Subsidiary of Walter Kidde & Co., Inc., Mirco Playfields, Tim Tim Kitzrow, Scott Danesi. The Valley Company, Subsidiary of Walter Kidde & Co., Inc., Mirco Playfields, Tim Tim Kitzrow, Scott Danesi. Knapp Arcade article? Or was it just like something thrown out there? So somebody said, yeah, we can't wait to see what Fifth Element looks like. Like that rumor's coming back again. I don't know how much chicken stock I'm putting into any of this. But I think it's fair dinkum that Barrels of Fun is going to have a new game at TPF in two weeks. And so I'm excited about that. All right, so look, so TPF is coming up. Evil Dead's are going to be there in abundance. Dungeons & Dragons will be there in abundance. Avatars will be there for sure. We're not going to see a new JJP, a new Stern. We're going to see Evil Dead and finally a lot more people get to play it, which is cool. But we're going to have a new game for Multimorphic over there in the corner. Fine. And then Barrels of Fun may have something. And that's kind of it. Those are like the two highlights for TPF now, for everything that's shaping up. Everything else seems to be delayed, pushed back. Even the rumor title from American Pinball is like a no-show there. The American Pinball Game is not going to be at MGC either. The Midwest Gaming Classic is happening in the first week of April in Milwaukee. If you can't make it to TPF, but you can get over to Milwaukee, you'll get to play the new Barrels game and probably at least one Portal will be there too. So you'll get to play them there. And then Pentastic, I'll be going out there. I bought my ticket today. The Valley Company, Subsidiary of Walter Kidde & Co., Inc., Mirco Playfields, Tim Tim Kitzrow, Scott Danesi. www.willywinks.com And I'm wondering if games will finally be shipping by then? They gotta be, right? Dutch did share that they do have some games on the line in production. So maybe they were hearing some of that feedback like, hey, you guys are supposedly just waiting on a part or something. So shouldn't your games be 95% of the way done, just kind of with the glass off waiting for this new part to come in so they can go into boxes and actually get out of the damn The Wally Winka Show, Knapp Arcade, Straight Down the Middle, Bally Williams, Straight Down the Middle, I think they could have come up with something much better, just on their own, with Alice in Wonderland. I don't think it's a bad theme, I think it would have been awesome. The art's a little weird, and the Popadiuk stuff's a little weird. That's the part I don't like, you know? So, we'll wait and we'll see. D&D has more fun and activity and a better Jabberwocky than Alice does. What the heck, man? Throw some Lior sculpts and Dungeons & Dragons and I think you'd have a better game. And that withstanding, if you order the game and you're happy with it, I'm happy for you, man. I hope you and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland have a lot of babies and they're all beautiful and it's all fantastic. It's just, you know, it's a game I didn't have to get. And I do want to play it again, mainly because I actually want to do something on the upper playfield, man. What the heck? What the heck? www.willywink.com What the heck? That was wild. Thanks to all the new Patreon members. Glad to have you here. Enjoy the bonus content. As always, give me feedback. Let me know what you want to hear and I'll be doing more of that. If you want some mods, reach out to me. I think at this point, I, you know... I love this. Alright, during this breakdown, I'm thinking of just turning my Don's Pinball Podcast mod shop Patreon exclusive. There's plenty of people on the Patreon there. And if you want mods, I'd love to build them and get them out to my Patreon members. And, uh, you know, just get off of Pinside. Cause, you know, I took a lot of my mods off of there cause I was getting orders and I was just taking up all of my time. And I'd rather, I'd rather move quickly. I'd rather move on a new game, make some cool stuff, and then move on to the next thing. And like, we'll do a run of stuff and when it's done, it's done, and we're moving forward to something else. But then, you know, if you holler at me and you're like, Don, I really want a Jaws chicken bucket, I can reach back in the stack and grab you like one without having to reinvent the wheel and do 30 of them, right? What do you think? Love me since the blind. Be good guys. Later.
  • Fifth Element is rumored to potentially be a future Barrels of Fun or industry title, but credibility is uncertain

    low confidence · Don Garrison explicitly states 'I don't know how much stock I'm putting into any of this'

  • Don Garrison @ late-content — Sets expectations for TPF lineup; confirms no new major manufacturer releases expected

  • “I'd rather move quickly. I'd rather move on to a new game, make some cool stuff, and then move on to the next thing.”

    Don Garrison @ end-content — Explains mod business philosophy; plans to shift to Patreon-exclusive model to control volume and focus

  • Evil Dead
    game
    Avatargame
    X-Mengame
    Portalgame
    Alice's Adventures in Wonderlandgame
    Brad Albrightperson
    Stern Pinballcompany
    Jersey Jack Pinballcompany
    Multimorphiccompany
    Barrels of Funcompany
    American Pinballcompany
    The Pinball Showevent
    Midwest Gaming Classicevent
    Pentasticevent
    Elizabethperson
    Tim Sextonperson
    Dutchperson
    Jawsgame
    Guns N' Rosesgame

    medium · Don stating Sullivan will 'see to his vision a lot better'; Elizabeth writing modes; implication of ongoing development roadmap

  • ~

    sentiment_shift: Positive shift in assessment of Dwight Sullivan's design leadership at Stern; contrasted favorably with Jack Wason's accessibility-first approach; implies designer choice significantly impacts game longevity.

    high · Don explicitly praising Sullivan's vision over Wason/Sexton; earlier criticism of X-Men's formulaic code; expectation of D&D improvement

  • ?

    collector_signal: Jersey Jack CE versions increasingly preferred over LE tiers (post-Godfather): Avatar CE notably superior due to topper, UV art, armor, and shooter rod; collector willing to pay premium for CE and resell LE.

    high · Don noting buyer interested in purchasing Avatar LE; personal preference for CE; observation of CE trend since Godfather; local collector attempting to acquire every JJP machine

  • ?

    rumor_hype: Fifth Element rumored as potential future Barrels of Fun or industry title; low confidence stated by source; unclear sourcing.

    low · Don explicitly disclaiming credibility: 'I don't know how much stock I'm putting into any of this'; mentioned in context of rumor cycle

  • ?

    event_signal: The Pinball Show (TPF) in 2 weeks will feature Evil Dead, D&D, Avatar in abundance; new Multimorphic Portal and possible Barrels of Fun game as primary attractions; no new Stern or JJP releases expected; American Pinball Alice delayed.

    high · Don's confirmed attendance and detailed itinerary; direct statements on expected lineup; characterization of Portal and Barrels as 'highlights'; confirmation of other delays

  • ?

    manufacturing_signal: American Pinball games (Alice in Wonderland) delayed, awaiting critical parts; games allegedly 95% complete and waiting for component delivery before final assembly/shipment.

    medium · Dutch (American Pinball rep) shared production status; Don's interpretation that parts shortage is primary delay; implication that games are assembly-ready

  • ?

    product_launch: Jersey Jack Avatar CE production complete and available; LE inventory slower in rollout; local collectors actively seeking CE versions; secondary market demand exceeding supply.

    high · Don stating CEs are 'ready'; buyer attempting to purchase his Avatar; observation of slow CE rollout; collector pursuing every JJP machine

  • ?

    machine_intel: Multimorphic Portal shown under NDA to select attendees; praised for innovation and potential 'twippy contender' status; Brad Albright officially announced as artist; high community hype building.

    medium · NDA attendee feedback; innovation praise; official Brad Albright announcement; Don's personal ticket purchase for TPF to see Portal