WoZ and Hobbit Updates
- Thread starter matthewra
- Start date
superjackpot
Active Member
My deposit on an LE is intact at SB. Still deciding... Theme I can live with, it's the gameplay that's got me wondering. Haven't seen or played it since they moved the floor model from the showroom onto location at Playdium @ Sq1.
Vengeance
Well-Known Member
I think it's hilarious that JJP ships out 12 unfinished, promotional units and people on Pinside go apeshit over it.
mwong168 said:I guess the same can be said when Stern ships a new game with incomplete code too :FP:
Yeah that's my point!
REVOLUTION said:mwong168 said:I guess the same can be said when Stern ships a new game with incomplete code too :FP:
Yeah that's my point!
Maybe the difference is the commitment to finishing the code :FP:
SquidVicious said:
Time will tell on that one.
As for "End users", the only one I've seen received so far was by the Seattle Pinball Museum. Jack has also stated that he's committed to getting the games in the hands of operators FIRST. So.. they're just as "promotional" as the last release to distributors in my books.
REVOLUTION said:
Nope the video of him doing the cartwheel as the tractor trailer departing JJP was for the first customer shipments .. that occured on Monday.
and I agree time will tell on the code ... Stern has already shown apathy to updating things (although Lyman has been great on doing it) .. JJP claims otherwise but the proof will be in the pudding so to speak.
Vengeance
Well-Known Member
Keith has the same commitment to his games that Lyman has so I wouldn't worry to much about the code not being updated.
That said it's still a WOZ and IMO that is bad enough to not want one. Playing it at MPE, not an enjoyable experience, if any of you have ever bitched at how much ST:TNG is a drain whore on the right and left outlanes wait till you play WOZ, every single ball I lost on the 3 - 4 games I played went down those things.
Yes I know there will be a ball save sort of random feature with the pop bumper and toto rollovers, but for me I don't like to leave my ball to the chance that MAYBE I might get a ball save.
Overall I didn't like the way the game played, there didn't seem to be anything to shoot at on the main playfield short of the ramps at the other end of the PF.
We'll have to see if software makes any difference as I'm sure it will, but even so, the voice calls, music, and theme are just B-A-D and doesn't make me want to play it at all. As compared to Stern, even the games they have that I think are terrible (Avengers, Transformers LE, etc) at least the theme is decent so it's not as much a chore to play as WOZ currently is.
Hopefully the people that bought one are happy with there purchase, me I'm happy I never jumped on the bandwagon, but hope JJP takes what he has learned on WOZ and improves it for a more worthy theme in The Hobbit.
That said it's still a WOZ and IMO that is bad enough to not want one. Playing it at MPE, not an enjoyable experience, if any of you have ever bitched at how much ST:TNG is a drain whore on the right and left outlanes wait till you play WOZ, every single ball I lost on the 3 - 4 games I played went down those things.
Yes I know there will be a ball save sort of random feature with the pop bumper and toto rollovers, but for me I don't like to leave my ball to the chance that MAYBE I might get a ball save.
Overall I didn't like the way the game played, there didn't seem to be anything to shoot at on the main playfield short of the ramps at the other end of the PF.
We'll have to see if software makes any difference as I'm sure it will, but even so, the voice calls, music, and theme are just B-A-D and doesn't make me want to play it at all. As compared to Stern, even the games they have that I think are terrible (Avengers, Transformers LE, etc) at least the theme is decent so it's not as much a chore to play as WOZ currently is.
Hopefully the people that bought one are happy with there purchase, me I'm happy I never jumped on the bandwagon, but hope JJP takes what he has learned on WOZ and improves it for a more worthy theme in The Hobbit.
The theme is not good. It almost feels like people are buying it IN SPITE of the theme, not because of it.
They can debate all day about how this transcends pinball and women and children will be drawn to it, but lets face facts here... all the users here are all cut from a VERY similar cloth. That is the demographic of pinball.
Anyhow. I don't wish JJP ill though, I guess it's more just frustration that I would love to be on board with what they are doing and can't. Time will tell if Jack is crazy like a fox and knows better than all of us.
Technically I admire the machine, and the video edits in particular are really impressive. How their video guy sliced and diced all the original movie footage to put into the game, very cool.
They can debate all day about how this transcends pinball and women and children will be drawn to it, but lets face facts here... all the users here are all cut from a VERY similar cloth. That is the demographic of pinball.
Anyhow. I don't wish JJP ill though, I guess it's more just frustration that I would love to be on board with what they are doing and can't. Time will tell if Jack is crazy like a fox and knows better than all of us.
Technically I admire the machine, and the video edits in particular are really impressive. How their video guy sliced and diced all the original movie footage to put into the game, very cool.
dos.reboot
Well-Known Member
WOZ's design seems awkward, as if the team came up some good ideas for a few toys and forced a playfield design around them. A game like TSPP was probably hatched the same way, but the overall flow seems a lot more intuitive and organic in a way.
TSPP has zero wasted space with every target, lane and even open space has been added (or not added) with a purpose. I don't get that sense with JJP's first pin. It may be a result of the widebody's sheer real estate, but in a way that confirms my first statement. A widebody should be the result of a design need rather than a default, which is the de facto for all of JJP's pins.
Perhaps my opinion will change once a ruleset is known.
TSPP has zero wasted space with every target, lane and even open space has been added (or not added) with a purpose. I don't get that sense with JJP's first pin. It may be a result of the widebody's sheer real estate, but in a way that confirms my first statement. A widebody should be the result of a design need rather than a default, which is the de facto for all of JJP's pins.
Perhaps my opinion will change once a ruleset is known.
Vengeance
Well-Known Member
I went to Playdium yesterday and got some time in with woz, multiple games. Not sure what software version, but it was a recent one, it had a lot of modes, yellow brick road, etc. 3 balls.
I walked up to it, totally open minded, ready to be blown away and ready to eat my words and order one the next day. I just didn't find it any fun. A real lack of thrill playing it. I'm not sure if software can overcome how slow it felt, how difficult it was to get the ball anywhere.
lots has been said about the fit and finish of the game, but if its not fun to play, none of that means anything, unless you are collector who looks to look at their collection and not play them.
Then there was other serious problems, like that loud PING. They have this high fidelity sound system which makes that PING even louder.
The GI was really dark.
The LCD really had no effect on my game, I'm staring at the playfield. I do think dmd is ready to be replaced with something, but I don't know how fundamentally the game play will change with LCDs.
I dunno... I was really bummed out. These games are shipping out now, I was so ready to be a fair-weather friend and say Jack was a mad genius and pulled it off. I'm actually really cool on Hobbit now. I will not order it or plan on buying it until I play it myself. I was excited about it, now I'm not. oh well.
I walked up to it, totally open minded, ready to be blown away and ready to eat my words and order one the next day. I just didn't find it any fun. A real lack of thrill playing it. I'm not sure if software can overcome how slow it felt, how difficult it was to get the ball anywhere.
lots has been said about the fit and finish of the game, but if its not fun to play, none of that means anything, unless you are collector who looks to look at their collection and not play them.
Then there was other serious problems, like that loud PING. They have this high fidelity sound system which makes that PING even louder.
The GI was really dark.
The LCD really had no effect on my game, I'm staring at the playfield. I do think dmd is ready to be replaced with something, but I don't know how fundamentally the game play will change with LCDs.
I dunno... I was really bummed out. These games are shipping out now, I was so ready to be a fair-weather friend and say Jack was a mad genius and pulled it off. I'm actually really cool on Hobbit now. I will not order it or plan on buying it until I play it myself. I was excited about it, now I'm not. oh well.
Everyone of course has a right to their opinion no question but Chris you've made four comments on the thread about it being a non-starter, horrible theme etc ... and then you post that you walked up to the machine totally open-minded ... I get that the machine didn't do anything for you and that's cool but I find it kinda of difficult to believe you were 'totally open-minded'
I have to throw in here that I own Hulk LE, another totally debated game that some people think is a turd and I love it and play it every day. So, perhaps also Woz can't be all things to all people. and it doesn't take away from my enjoyment of Hulk that others don't like it. I guess we'll know in about a year what the verdict is after the dust has settled.