ANSWER Multimorphic P3: First impressions

[MrMikeman]

Ok so some folks want to know my first (and follow up) impression. So here’s my first impression!

Although I had never played or even seen a P3, I did read up a lot, I’m in all the P3 threads on Pinside, and on Multimorphic’s Discord channel. I had a pretty good idea of what to expect. On a side note, P3’s use a lot of 3D printed parts and servos..

Shipping: No Canadian distributors so I had to ship from the company in Texas. I chose Fedex Freight for speed and also insurance. It was expensive AF. Shipping plus broker fees(can & us brokers), plus insurance was about $2500 Cdn after exchange. This does not include canadian tax at the border. However by using Fedex I saved $2000 in PST as I only paid GST of 5%. So paying 500$ in shipping to the border and picking up myself would have cost the same since I would have paid PST. I would have also had to waste a day and lots of gas to get it. I’d rather have home delivery for the same cost.

First impressions:
- The pf module launch tubes may need slight adjustment after shipping. No balls would launch on first start up. I was expecting it and knew the fix. Someone with no desire to inform themselves would have been stumped though. It was suuuuper easy to fix. We are talking less than a minute.
- A small number of machines may get an early servo failure, typically in the walls and scoops. I was unlucky enough to have one fail within the first few hours of use but on a diverter. Fix pending. Game is still playable but a main feature is not available right now (hamster wheel). Replacement servo on the way.
- Game is OMG heavy. 425 pounds as it sits with Weird Al.
- Built like a tank. Super solid. My WOZ is 400 lbs as well but feels “soft”. The P3 does not.
- I don’t mind the more open lower pf. My wife commented she misses having “stuff” on the lower pf. Not necessarily mechs but at least theme related toys/decorations.
- The sound system is amazeballs compared to any other manufacturer. I still chose to connect the external sub. Some ppl would find it excessive but we love it.
- Unlike other pinball machines, you can break things mechanically or burn out electronics with software adjustments. Be warned. Don’t mess with things/settings you don’t understand. This machine is not idiot proof.
- flipper feel is good. One was a little weak so adjusted it and it feels right.
- using 2 pairs of flipper buttons (upper & lower) is a bit of a challenge to figure out but it does happen quicker than I expected. Both my wife and I got it within about 8-10 games. I’ve read on Pinside that folks have a hard time adapting. We did not. My wife thinks maybe it’s because we are both piano players and can handle independent finger operation. Or maybe folks are just being whiny and difficult.
- you CAN use only 2 flipper buttons but flippers are weaker that way as they trigger together and it makes the spiral ramp very hard to nail.
- the spiral ramp on Weird Al is just about the most fun shot ever. I still can’t hit it more than 20-30% but my wife somehow nails it 60-70-% of the time.
- never seen so many diverters/mechs on a game. The playfield modules may be compact but it feels like they stick more mechs and diverters in that small space than Stern sticks in a whole game, especially Pros.
- rules wise. Weird Al is simple enough to understand. Hard to do well at first but both of us are really getting the hang of it quickly. Haven’t seen a lot of the features yet that I know are in the game. My failed servo kind of prevents some of these.
- mini game are a fun diversion. The Weird al module is not ideal for some though as the launch can take time. Waiting for a ball to appear can be weird while the game is continuing, especially ROCs(asteroids type game where you break the asteroids on screen by “hitting” them with the ball).
- some bugs still. Some minor issues with screen display of info for settings. Also all flippers died in one of my wife’s games. It was on ball 3. Game ended and then next restart flippers were still dead. I restarted the machine and all was fine. Didn’t happen again.
- Multimorphic does provide a log reporting capacity so when bugs happen you can just go in the settings and “send log” via wifi. They usually are able to find the bug pretty quickly. After the flipper incident I set my logging to “full” so that if it happens again I can send the bug report.
- oh and outlanes are brutal on this game but very adjustable.
- topper lighting brightness adjustments are not working known issue. Had to unplug the lights as the reflection off the ceiling was making the playfield washed out/hard to see. Coding issue being worked on. Only 227 toppers out there so not necessarily high priority.

The support is on a whole other level. Imagine having Gary Stern email you on a Friday night to explain all the technical details to a service request. Gerry knows his product inside and out. He wants 100% satisfaction from all owners.

I am super happy with the purchase despite the minor glitch. I love pinball. I love geeky shit. This thing offers both! Oh and it’s a blast to play so far. Wish I had my other modules already, especially when the weird al one isn’t working 100%.

Will update this thread as I discover/learn new things.

 

[ZoomZoomBoomBoom]

Awesome feedback. I have been looking at getting one for quite a while.

 

[Halfwasted]

Seems silly no CND distributor.

 

[Chris Bardon]

Thanks for sharing-I've had a chance to play a couple of the p3 games, and Weird Al is probably the best so far. Heist has a crane that goes over the lower PF if you're looking for more stuff further down. Definitely a neat system.

 

[MrMikeman]

Heist is on order as all the other modules are. Gonna be fun

 

[MrMikeman]

Ok so after having a bit more time on it I can say that Weird Al is not as hard as most modern Sterns. I got to the “end” yesterday… somewhat... Couldn't start the final wizard mode however as I was missing 1 multiball that I cannot start because of my non-functioning diverter.

The final mode is very long and difficult so not likely I would have completed it but still surprising I got to the end already. That often happens with a new game in the house though. And then it’s months before I can duplicate the performance. I totally forgot I could save game states. Gah. Think of it as a save point in console gaming. You can then load from there and continue later on. Loading saved games actually lets you play a full 3 ball from that point. Means you can progress through the story line even if you are not good enough to do it one game. Interesting for the home environment. My wife will be able to see the whole game, spread over many game plays.

Still enjoying it lots. ROCs as well. Simple but surprisingly addictive. Killer sound track too (Scott Danesi).

Barnyard is quirky/funny but 1-2 games at a time is good enough.

Shoot and scoot looks so simple but that game is HARD. It’s all about trapping up and total ball control. Make one shot, stop and control the ball.

waiting for more games! My Drained module should show up in 3 weeks or so. The others will likely be may/june.

 

[MrMikeman]

Next P3 game has just been announced. It's called Final Resistance and is from creator Scott Danesi (TNA, R&M):

 

[MrMikeman]

Did the servo replacement yesterday. Game is fully working again. I have to say that it would suck for someone to have to do this if they don't understand servos. How they function, how to set them. You can't just throw it in the game or you will break the mech or burn out the servo.

It was a 2 hour fix but hopefully the only time I have to take the upper playfield off that module! Working on the module on my workbench in my garage was way better than being hunched over the side of a pinball machine!

It's also cool that the wire harness reaches over the side so you can plug the module in while working on it (if you have a high table or chair). In the case of a servo replacement you have to.

 

[MrMikeman]

Weird Al is now running OK. There are still a few bugs that they are working on squashing.

i received Drained today. So different and HARD!

Gotta love being able to receive your NIB at the front door and hand carry it downstairs to the game room lol.

 

[MrMikeman]

Heist! Has arrived.

 

[MrMikeman]

So after playing Heist! and Silver Falls I have an opinion. I really like Heist! I'm having some crane issues like a lot of folks but hopefully I can resolve next weekend since I got a few parts from Multimorphic today. Silver Falls is ok but kind of slow and weird. It's like a slow paced version of Sims, but visually blocky like minecraft. You are in a house with 6 bare rooms (room order is always the same). You have to make shots to collect cash, go buy "things" to furnish the room, when furnished and you did whatever task you had to do you move to the next room, all to the sound of some funky chill music. You need to be pretty drunk or really high to get into this game lol. Oh and it's insanely hard. I'll never see all the rooms unless I find someone to play COOP mode. The 3rd room is cool - it's the game room. So you collect cash to buy games lol. I haven’t gotten further yet.

Got the Cannon Lagoon module today. This enables 3 games. CL itself which is a very basic shooter, much like a redemption game - in fact it is considered a redemption game. Grand Slam Rally which is a pitch and bat. And Flipper Foxtrot rythm game. I quickly tried all 3:
- CL: good practice for making shots under a time pressure. Could see this as a fun party/drinking game.
- GSR: This pitch and bat is actually really fun. Another great party/drinking game! Sucky part: it’s only 1 player.
- FF: It's ok. The concept is good and gameplay fun. I do find that the timing is off for the button mashing in synch with the music. As a Rockband influenced person I would have preferred timed hits.