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Carrie Hardy details Deep Root factory tour experience, NDA constraints, technical issues found, and launch timeline concerns.
Six media personalities were invited to Deep Root factory tour; more were invited but declined including Kaneda and Poor Man's Pinball Podcast members
high confidence · Direct statement about invitations and public announcements of declines
All six invitees' travel, lodging, and mileage was fully paid by Deep Root
high confidence · Carrie explicitly states 'our traveling fees and gas mileage and lodging was paid for by Deep Root'
Steve Bowden had significant input on selection of invitees, particularly Colin due to their friendship and tournament player expertise
medium confidence · Carrie states 'I believe...he was primarily invited due to his mental thoughts on tournament style stuff' based on Bowden's conversations during visit
All six visitors agreed that Raza is not ready to launch on the stated timeline
high confidence · Carrie: 'We were all in agreeance that This isn't ready to launch And the time frame that he stated We were all like no we don't see that being good'
Technical issues prevented full gameplay testing of Raza during the tour
high confidence · Carrie states 'all of us got to play Raza to an extent. There are technical issues' and 'kept us from being able to do what i wanted to do'
Deep Root manufactures metal parts (rails, ramps) on-site and is developing a glass-lifting side rail system
high confidence · Tour description of metal works area: 'the rails and the ramps and stuff like that, they're all manufactured on site right there'
Deep Root is developing multiple games beyond Raza with designers John Papaduke and Barry Owlsworth
medium confidence · Carrie mentions seeing prototypes and meeting these designers but is restricted by NDA from naming games
Pin Pod shipping box is optional, not mandatory for Raza purchases
high confidence · Carrie explicitly states 'this pin pod was only an option' and emphasizes this multiple times
“I can only parallel it to how it was with Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, where you had a lot of people that did not know what was going inside this building...and then a moment comes up where you're invited into this place, and you will be one of the very first people to see all of these innovations”
Carrie Hardy@ 5:58 — Explains the appeal and emotional context of accepting the NDA-restricted factory tour invitation
“We were all in agreeance that This isn't ready to launch And the time frame that he stated We were all like no we don't see that being good”
Carrie Hardy@ 22:10 — Direct confirmation that all six invited personalities expressed concerns about Raza's readiness and launch timeline
“I felt that if i would have brought my concerns up during the whole filming thing it just wouldn't have looked good i would have been that guy and I was like, you know what, I'm going to let him have this moment”
Carrie Hardy@ 22:37 — Reveals that critics withheld feedback during filming to avoid appearing negative, and instead communicated concerns later via email
“I think definitely that weekend, I'm hoping at least, that was a humbling experience for him [Robert]. and I'm thinking he's starting to note and see that pinball is in fact not easy”
Carrie Hardy@ 23:57 — Assessment that Deep Root founder needed a reality check on industry challenges
“I believe the issue and the reason why that Robert is getting so much flack for all of this is his attitude and the way it's been over the past few years...whenever he was coming out saying, this manufacturer is doing it wrong, we're going to do it better, and bullish statements like that, then yeah, you're going to have those of you out there that are going to be like, man, I hope this guy falls on his face”
business_signal: Deep Root has invested in on-site manufacturing capability for metal components and in professional reveal video production, indicating commitment to production scale-up
medium · Carrie describes dedicated machine shop with rail/ramp manufacturing, professional camera crew with industry-standard equipment (clickers, gyros, lighting)
community_signal: Tension between community desire for more manufacturer options/competition and skepticism about Deep Root's execution and timeline; some celebrating potential failure due to founder's arrogance
medium · Carrie discusses community members 'rooting and cheering and laughing at their possible failure' due to attitude; acknowledges this is understandable given his bullish statements
community_signal: Content creator community expressing closure-seeking behavior and fatigue around Deep Root coverage; multiple creators declining podcast appearances to avoid repetitive NDA-constrained discussions
high · Carrie states 'I've had to turn down a couple of different podcasts because I didn't want to be brought on and talk more about this' and hopes 'this is going to be like my last Deep Root thing'
sentiment_shift: Community backlash against Deep Root is attributed primarily to founder Robert's arrogant attitude and bullish competitive statements rather than product quality alone; this is a reputation/messaging issue distinct from technical capability
high · Carrie explicitly states founder's attitude caused negative sentiment: 'whenever he was coming out saying, this manufacturer is doing it wrong, we're going to do it better...you're going to have those...that are going to be like, man, I hope this guy falls on his face'
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Carrie Hardy@ 24:42 — Attributes community backlash to founder's arrogance rather than product issues alone
“Talking to like Steve Bowden and Quinn who have all this passion behind these projects...The designers, Barry Owsler...the people that I talked to that were working there were so glad that we were there because I'm thinking that they felt like finally we're going to be able to show the world what we've been working on”
Carrie Hardy@ 25:23 — Demonstrates team morale and passion at Deep Root despite public skepticism
“their only saving grace is that they haven't taken any of your money yet so as long as that doesn't happen i think that overall they're going to be in the safe space where they shouldn't be having too much flack thrown at them”
Carrie Hardy@ 27:38 — Provides framework for evaluating Deep Root's credibility as a pre-order manufacturer
“I wanted to be able to just openly talk about all these great things that I saw but then I can't sucks...when it comes to NDAs I'm not a big fan of them so far”
Carrie Hardy@ 28:31 — Expresses frustration with NDA restrictions preventing full disclosure
market_signal: Deep Root invested heavily in professional reveal event and video production, suggesting expectation of significant public attention and media coverage from tour
high · Professional camera crew with industry-standard equipment, wireless microphones for all six guests, scene clickers, multiple cameras with stabilization equipment
community_signal: Tour guests deliberately withheld critical feedback during filming to avoid appearing negative on record, instead saving concerns for personal emails and conversations after the fact
high · Carrie: 'I felt that if i would have brought my concerns up during the whole filming thing it just wouldn't have looked good i would have been that guy...I'm going to let him have this moment...then I'll either talk to him in person or I'll write him an email'
personnel_signal: Deep Root assembling experienced designer team (Steve Bowden, John Papaduke, Barry Owlsworth) for multiple concurrent game projects; tour was designed as professional R&D feedback session filmed for reveal video
high · Multiple designers mentioned; professional camera crew with scene clickers; PowerPoint presentations on development roadmap
announcement: Pin Pod shipping/storage solution is optional accessory for Raza; can be reused for other machines; differs from mandatory packaging approach competitors may use
high · Carrie emphasizes multiple times that Pin Pod is optional choice, not required: 'this pin pod was only an option so that was good'
product_strategy: All six tour invitees expressed consensus that Raza is not ready for the stated launch timeline; this suggests production delays are likely
high · Carrie: 'We were all in agreeance that This isn't ready to launch And the time frame that he stated We were all like no we don't see that being good'
product_concern: Raza experienced technical issues during tour gameplay that prevented full testing and demo content creation; visitors identified design/manufacturing concerns about pin armor coating (orange peel effect) and glass implementation
high · Carrie states 'all of us got to play Raza to an extent. There are technical issues' and references concerns documented on This Week in Pinball about coating quality
rumor_hype: Multiple prototype games in development at Deep Root beyond Raza with designers John Papaduke and Barry Owlsworth; NDA prevents naming or details of these titles
medium · Carrie: 'we actually went in to do our introductions...they got to see what those games are looking like and the titles for those' but cannot disclose which games
technology_signal: Deep Root developing innovative glass-lift system via side rails and complete machine setup capability without external assistance; appears to be significant design innovation
medium · Carrie mentions 'the ability to lift up the glass with the side rails and how they're working on a device for you to be able to uh do a complete setup on your machine just by yourself'