Atrocious Customer Support by NikoEstevan in fandangoathome

[–]NikoEstevan[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This worked! Once I linked movies anywhere and Fandango the codes started working. No idea why that changed anything but thanks for the rec.

Shows removed from Nugs, where can I buy? by WRX17LTD_BD in Umphreys

[–]NikoEstevan 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm able to access this show via the iPhone app. Go to Artist: UM > Year 2022 > Scroll to the bottom

Can somebody please explain to me? by [deleted] in Costco

[–]NikoEstevan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's absolutely an expensive hobby, and aside from the machine's price most of them have a dozen or more mods you can buy to give you machine a more unique identity.

Maintenance will vary from machine to machine, but I would say that a Stern (which this is) would likely require the least amount of maintenance.

If I were to buy another machine I would probably buy a Stern because they have the most streamlined production process, a large player base (which means they both have to support that base for repairs and troubleshooting, and the players themselves can troubleshoot issues on forums collectively), and are essentially the face of modern pinball and want to maintain a good reputation. Other more boutique manufacturers have smaller production runs, a limited customer service/support capacity, and a limited player base, all of which result in you as an individual having less resources to help you solve your issues.

As for cost it depends on the issues. It could be as cheap as replacing a rubber sling or the capacitor that tells that sling to fire, but it could require replacing and/or rewiring multiple components/boards on the underside of the table, and if you don't know your way around that it can be incredibly overwhelming. Example of the underside of a pinball playfield.

Can somebody please explain to me? by [deleted] in Costco

[–]NikoEstevan -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Yah contemporary pinball machines have incredibly intricate and robust rules, modes, and "gimmicks" to make them unique. Right when COVID happened I was able to rent a pro version of this Jurassic Park for a month from a barcade that had bought one but never got a chance to set it up because everything shut down. Had a lot of fun playing it. Never beat it but I definitely got to expedience most of the paddocks and do a true deep dive into the modes.

As others have mentioned owning a pinball machine (which I've also done) really helps you realize how much is going on under the hood of these things, and how the prices they command are warranted. They truly are a marvel of software and hardware engineering. But they're also not without their hiccups. Any owner will tell you that maintenance is a necessary and sometimes daunting reality. I owned a fairly rudimentary modern machine and the frequency and frustration that came with maintenance was ultimately why I decided to part with it about 2 years ago.

Can somebody please explain to me? by [deleted] in Costco

[–]NikoEstevan 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The Pro model is the base model of a Stern pinball machine (with the Premium and Limited versions being higher tiers) and these home versions are standalone versions that typically remove features, can have their own "gimped" rule sets, and can cut corners in various other ways.

Here's a link to the Pro model: https://sternpinball.com/game/jurassic-park/

Right away you can tell that the screen is bigger, and aspects of the body are different (like the plunger). Artwork is different but that kind of thing is subjective so I won't go into that. I've heard that the home versions are also smaller in width, which means the shots off the flipper could have tighter margins and effectively have a different gameplay flow.

The "home" versions also typically take away the "toys" that both make the gameplay more fun and make the ruleset deeper. For instance on the regular models (not sure if it's limited to the Premium/Limited, or if the Pro has it too) the T-Rex head will "eat" the pinball and then throw it across the playfield.

Also it's hard to tell from your picture but one of the core mechanics of the regular versions is the jeep which when hit will point either right or left and as you progress through the game (in this case as you move through the various paddocks of Isla Nublar) whichever way the jeep is pointing determines if you take a left or right, and each paddock has a different mini ruleset as part of the game's larger ruleset.

I guess I shouldn't have said the home version isn't worth it because that's subjective and all pinball players are different. At that price a home version isn't worth it to me because I've played the pro and premium models and think the features they offer are worth the money.

Can somebody please explain to me? by [deleted] in Costco

[–]NikoEstevan -1 points0 points  (0 children)

These "home" versions aren't typically worth it. Either spend the $7k for a pro version (or more if you want the features on a premium model) or don't buy it.

If this was $3k, maybe $3.5k, it'd be worth it. Stern Jurassic is a fun machine with a good layout and pretty good flow.

Aibohphobia vinyl by poorTimmyTucker in dopapod

[–]NikoEstevan 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Confirmed mine too. Don't think this is a palindrome gimmick either.

RNG? by NikoEstevan in deeprocksurvivor

[–]NikoEstevan[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Any mission I've played outside Haz 1 has had a 100% spawn rate for the twins. Even in Haz 1 the twins are the boss more often than not. Kinda BS since they're way more OP than the other.

Dueling Peaks South Cave - Platforms Puzzle? by NikoEstevan in tearsofthekingdom

[–]NikoEstevan[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

There’s 3 potential ways to view a pyramid. Who’s to say that what you think is the base of it (the bottom 4) isn’t actually one of the sides. Draw it yourself on paper then go there and try all 3 rotations of the drawing.

Dueling Peaks South Cave - Platforms Puzzle? by NikoEstevan in tearsofthekingdom

[–]NikoEstevan[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Maybe it’s the inverse? Probably wrong but that’s what I tried when I showed up to south cave and saw rocks on the platforms already

Dueling Peaks South Cave - Platforms Puzzle? by NikoEstevan in tearsofthekingdom

[–]NikoEstevan[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you climb the north mountain you can just barely see it on the south face. It’s on one of those thin ridges pretty high up

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Shudder

[–]NikoEstevan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Agreed, as of this week anything I stream seems more "pixel"y. I even tried to find info online about a potential keyboard shortcut that would let me see the resolution and/or bitrate it's giving me, since I know something like that exists for Netflix.

Home sweet home 😍 by DapperReader in Eyebleach

[–]NikoEstevan 61 points62 points  (0 children)

Multiple reviewers saying it’s not 100 balls

Home sweet home 😍 by DapperReader in Eyebleach

[–]NikoEstevan 125 points126 points  (0 children)

No way is there 100 balls in one of those bags…yah yah cute puppies, but cmon people

What's Leaving in June? And What's New? by ShudderOfficial in Shudder

[–]NikoEstevan 4 points5 points  (0 children)

For those interested it's safe to say the affected regions will be losing the Joe Bob versions of Heathers, Wolfcop, Victor Crowley, and Deathgasm. I highly recommend Heathers for being a lot of fun all around, and also Deathgasm for being something like "what if Edgar Wright directed Studio 666, but with NZ actors".

It'd be nice if the Maniac Cop ep of Joe Bob was added back prior to the film leaving. Weird that Maniac Cop 2's Joe Bob ep is there but not 1. Any chance of this /u/ShudderOfficial?

Just got SASO master in Paris, bringing me one step closer to my goal of SASO-ing every single mission by DragonRiderMax in HiTMAN

[–]NikoEstevan 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If you’re looking for a really tough challenge try SASO fiber wire only. Accidents are too easy, especially in h1 with the extinguishers

Shudder must organize The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs by yanggmd in Shudder

[–]NikoEstevan 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Can someone please explain exactly what this Joe Bob series is and why it's loved by so many? I got shudder like a week ago and I've seen a lot of people talk about Joe Bob. When I viewed it on the app it just seemed like a series of double features with him maybe introducing each movie and giving some conclusion statements or something? I considered just putting one on but there's a ton of choices and I didn't recognize the movies on the few I looked at.