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Stern Star Wars. Your thoughts

Neil McRae said:
although - @roadshow16 why Han over R2 - just on the starting point?
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I tried to explain in as much detail as I could, but perhaps it still wasn't clear?

Basically as a competition strategy, the key is to get into a world multiball as quickly as possible, hopefully then bringing tie fighter multiball into it. If you choose Han and then start the Tatooine missions from the plunge, it's 2 shots to complete Tatooine 2, left ramp then death Star shot. That's it. Then you will have the Tatooine world multiball ready.

R2D2 is powerful and a bunch of people play it, but its harder to get into a multiball. I could make an argument for all of them to be honest, so it depends which way you want to play it, but I think that Han is the most accessible, especially when walking up to a game in competition that you've never played before.
 
yeah I get the starting point but I think some of shots you need to do after that are more risky, R2 always worked for me but Ill try Han next time I play, probably April at D82 unless Star Wars is in the bank at INDISC.
 
Neil McRae said:
yeah I get the starting point but I think some of shots you need to do after that are more risky, R2 always worked for me but Ill try Han next time I play, probably April at D82 unless Star Wars is in the bank at INDISC.
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If your trying to make it to the wizard mode, Han is not the way to go, as the most tricky modes are Death Star and Han doesn't give you any progress on Death Star.

But in competition, it's very unlikely that you are trying to complete the game. In which case, Han is optimum in my opinion, for all the reasons I hopefully explained in the video. Basically, on the other 3 world multiballs (other than Death Star) you are only 1 mode completion away on each. Play those 3 multiballs with some Tie Fighters mixed in, I reckon you have a good chance of winning
 
Neil McRae said:
and you need a pinball camera rig if you are going to do this sort of video Gonzo. I'll PM ya.
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No thanks mate. Appreciate the offer but it's not for me. There's a shed load of elevated playfield videos out there and I want it to look different and add some depth and height to the elevated parts of the playfield. Obviously it has to be streamed that way purely because a pinball machine shape is perpendicular to that of a TV screen.

Funnily enough we discussed exactly that when we recorded the Chinwag this morning.
 
Gonzo said:
I have another overview video waiting to be done which is just opinions on the game and a look around it. Maybe I could pop over and get some footage and opinions on the LE at some point mate?
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That sounds like a great idea mate! Little Room Tour (it’s a little room) and a look over the LE! Send me over some date mate and we can get it booked in.
 
Gonzo said:
No thanks mate. Appreciate the offer but it's not for me. There's a shed load of elevated playfield videos out there and I want it to look different and add some depth and height to the elevated parts of the playfield. Obviously it has to be streamed that way purely because a pinball machine shape is perpendicular to that of a TV screen.

Funnily enough we discussed exactly that when we recorded the Chinwag this morning.
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I don't mind the angles but I find the editing a bit disjointed sometimes so it's hard to follow the ball. I suppose a more of an over the shoulder angle that shows you nearly everything so it doesn't have to change so often?
 
JAG555 said:
I think the camera set up is a refreshing change from the standard bird’s eye view. I find when the camera is that high, explaining the shots etc. always gets a bit lost and confusing. I think this gives me a more ‘normal’ player’s view.
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That is EXACTLY why it is done that way. Kris and I had long discussions about it only this morning.
 
David_Vi said:
I don't mind the angles but I find the editing a bit disjointed sometimes so it's hard to follow the ball. I suppose a more of an over the shoulder angle that shows you nearly everything so it doesn't have to change so often?
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That's good feedback David, thank you. Invaluable actually. What I'll do in future is only change from left to right when the ball stops.
 
JAG555 said:
I think the camera set up is a refreshing change from the standard bird’s eye view. I find when the camera is that high, explaining the shots etc. always gets a bit lost and confusing. I think this gives me a more ‘normal’ player’s view.
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Thanks John.

Don't get me wrong, the birds eye view definitely has it's place but it requires some prior knowledge of the playfield to fill in the gaps. In essence I find it an instructional aid for people who know pinball. It's a great way for streaming a live capture . . . in fact it's the only way to film it and display it in boxed sections.

I don't feel it's (the stream set-up) particularly attractive or dynamic though and it's too compartmentalised. I'm not exactly sure if it's even possible to make pinball cinematic but I'm trying to figure things out. I know how I want it to look in my mind but I've not sussed it out yet.
 
I think the camera angles are alright, I like the way it's done. Pinball is very hard to properly convey on film isn't it. When I filmed mine the other day I taped a selfie stick to a tripod, absolute shambles

Not totally convinced I like the multiplier set up of the code but obviously this means pretty much **** all until I've actually played it.
 
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I find the over head view, it’s sometimes difficult to follow the ball.
Like when jack danger streams, he has 4 camera views on screen, so the top down view of the table, is maybe a 3rd of screen space.
Unless I’m watching on my oculus quest, with a simulated 20ft screen, it’s hard to follow the ball, and see clearly what’s happening
 
huggers said:
I think the camera angles are alright, I like the way it's done. Pinball is very hard to properly convey on film isn't it. When I filmed mine the other day I taped a selfie stick to a tripod, absolutely shambles

Not totally convinced I like the multiplier set up of the code but obviously this means pretty much **** all until I've actually played it.
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Cheers mate. A pal of mine makes films for a living and when I told him about filming pinball he just said, "It's the wrong fu(ki@ shap for film mate". 😂 Very helpful.

Funnily enough I didn't appreciate quite how important the multipliers were to high scoring and I'm starting to find out that batman is a bit similar.
 
Doggard said:
I find the over head view, it’s sometimes difficult to follow the ball.
Like when jack danger streams, he has 4 camera views on screen, so the top down view of the table, is maybe a 3rd of screen space.
Unless I’m watching on my oculus quest, with a simulated 20ft screen, it’s hard to follow the ball, and see clearly what’s happening
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My eyes are crap mate and I just can't watch that stream stuff on a phone. When I was trying to learn AIQ I waited until I could watch on the big TV.

It actually convinced me that I needed a bigger TV. Funny thing is the massive tv I saw cost £1800. .....I dismissed it instantly. I'll spend 8k on a pinball it seems but I'm too tight to spend a quarter of that on a TV. 😂

There's something wrong with me.
 
Gonzo said:
No thanks mate. Appreciate the offer but it's not for me. There's a shed load of elevated playfield videos out there and I want it to look different and add some depth and height to the elevated parts of the playfield. Obviously it has to be streamed that way purely because a pinball machine shape is perpendicular to that of a TV screen.

Funnily enough we discussed exactly that when we recorded the Chinwag this morning.
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Unfortunately the video is flat from a depth point of view.

But let me correct you there's a shed load of +good+ elevated videos; for the other videos you shoot I agree you don't want a rig but

for a tutorial this format is terrible; I stopped watching because you are having to bounce the viewpoint around so much - its a mess; which is a shame because the content is great, as a videographer trying to be different is interesting until you miss capturing what the audience is excited about. The left and right and up and down is horrid and at times you see as much laminate floor as game.

Maybe not do the top down, although I think you are nuts to ignore that, but keep the view consistent at least - and on a tutorial you 100% need the Screen/DMD/Score to be visible throughout in my view so you can see the action of the game translated into what the game is telling you and the reaction in the score and signage from the game - you also need to see the playfield inserts, again especially on Star Wars. You also don't capture the emotion of the player which again super important from the point of view learning when the player is doing well or not.
 
Neil McRae said:
Unfortunately the video is flat from a depth point of view.

But let me correct you there's a shed load of +good+ elevated videos; for the other videos you shoot I agree you don't want a rig but

for a tutorial this format is terrible; I stopped watching because you are having to bounce the viewpoint around so much - its a mess; which is a shame because the content is great, as a videographer trying to be different is interesting until you miss capturing what the audience is excited about. The left and right and up and down is horrid and at times you see as much laminate floor as game.

Maybe not do the top down, although I think you are nuts to ignore that, but keep the view consistent at least - and on a tutorial you 100% need the Screen/DMD/Score to be visible throughout in my view so you can see the action of the game translated into what the game is telling you and the reaction in the score and signage from the game - you also need to see the playfield inserts, again especially on Star Wars. You also don't capture the emotion of the player which again super important from the point of view learning when the player is doing well or not.
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Yeah, I'm not sure I'm nuts Neil. More or less the channel is going in the direction I want it to but time will be the ultimate decider. At the end of the day like yourself people can choose whether to watch or not. Average view duration on that video is good to be fair so people appear to stay and watch Craig do his stuff.

I take your point about dismissing the rig altogether though, there is probably room to incorporate some additional aspects from that. David also makes a good point about switching angles mid shot which I'll stop. You're right about a tutorial needing to show everything and I'll certainly take a look at that.

Ultimately though there are many options on YouTube for people to get their pinball fix. The Flipperarma will either succeed or people will chose to watch something else. I'm confident we're heading in the right direction though and I'd like to feature more fantastic players and continue looking for different ways to capture the gameplay.
 
when I did my first broadcast I tried to do things differently even though I had 4 months from deal signed to first programme! It didn't really work. Mostly because the viewers had got use to a format that was hard to move away from, In fact it was impossible.

But I took every bit of feedback and spent a lot of time reflecting on it and figuring out what was worth doing different for real value and would bring viewers and what wasn't worth doing different because you were just trying to be different and every now and again I smile at the Emmy I have.

Neil.
 
Neil McRae said:
when I did my first broadcast I tried to do things differently even though I had 4 months from deal signed to first programme! It didn't really work. Mostly because the viewers had got use to a format that was hard to move away from, In fact it was impossible.

But I took every bit of feedback and spent a lot of time reflecting on it and figuring out what was worth doing different for real value and would bring viewers and what wasn't worth doing different because you were just trying to be different and every now and again I smile at the Emmy I have.

Neil.
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Neil, please allow me to be blunt and I hope that I don't sound discourteous.

Your Emmy sounds wonderful but I'm not trying to create an award winning show here. I'm merely trying to chart my journey as I discover pinball and grow into the hobby. If people want to watch that's great but primarily it was about archiving games and stories whilst learning as much as I can. Most importantly it's about having fun. I really love pinball machines and I'm excited every time I see one. I can't begin to explain how excited I was for Craig to come over, to pop over to your fantastic tournament and Pinfest was the highlight of my year. I'm just trying to have a good time and I love making videos as anyone who knows me will testify.

Without wishing to start a p1$$ing contest, making videos is what I do. I'm happy to concede that it's not a patch on the giant that is BT but I did 7 million views last year on YouTube alone. I may not know as much as you but I know a little bit and enough that I've made it my job during difficult circumstances and the loss of my plumbing company. I have all the gear and a little bit of an idea so whilst I was filming stuff for my day job I thought I'd do a bit of pinball on the side.

I would probably take your critique a little more seriously if you didn't say something negative after almost every video. I can't be bothered trawling back through the archives but in short you ain't got a lot of positive things to say about the videos. That in itself is not particularly conducive to the general upbeat and excited nature of the channel which is really about having a laugh.

I'm happy to take new ideas on board and suggestions for videos but ultimately I'll make videos that I enjoy. Your comments about 'taking every bit of feedback and spending a lot of time reflecting on it and figuring out what's worth doing' just ain't for me mate. I have to produce two videos a day to pay the bills so I want the pinball videos to be fun and a distraction.

I think you summed it up before the last podcast when you said "I wonder if Gerry has anything new to say?". That was the nail on the head really because there's nothing new for you here. You already know everything and everyone but I don't so just let me crack on if you don't mind.

I'm really enjoying doing these videos, they may not be award winning but it's my hobby and nobody likes to constantly be told that what they do is ****.
 
Gonzo said:
Neil, please allow me to be blunt and I hope that I don't sound discourteous.

Your Emmy sounds wonderful but I'm not trying to create an award winning show here. I'm merely trying to chart my journey as I discover pinball and grow into the hobby. If people want to watch that's great but primarily it was about archiving games and stories whilst learning as much as I can. Most importantly it's about having fun. I really love pinball machines and I'm excited every time I see one. I can't begin to explain how excited I was for Craig to come over, to pop over to your fantastic tournament and Pinfest was the highlight of my year. I'm just trying to have a good time and I love making videos as anyone who knows me will testify.

Without wishing to start a p1$$ing contest, making videos is what I do. I'm happy to concede that it's not a patch on the giant that is BT but I did 7 million views last year on YouTube alone. I may not know as much as you but I know a little bit and enough that I've made it my job during difficult circumstances and the loss of my plumbing company. I have all the gear and a little bit of an idea so whilst I was filming stuff for my day job I thought I'd do a bit of pinball on the side.

I would probably take your critique a little more seriously if you didn't say something negative after almost every video. I can't be bothered trawling back through the archives but in short you ain't got a lot of positive things to say about the videos. That in itself is not particularly conducive to the general upbeat and excited nature of the channel which is really about having a laugh.

I'm happy to take new ideas on board and suggestions for videos but ultimately I'll make videos that I enjoy. Your comments about 'taking every bit of feedback and spending a lot of time reflecting on it and figuring out what's worth doing' just ain't for me mate. I have to produce two videos a day to pay the bills so I want the pinball videos to be fun and a distraction.

I think you summed it up before the last podcast when you said "I wonder if Gerry has anything new to say?". That was the nail on the head really because there's nothing new for you here. You already know everything and everyone but I don't so just let me crack on if you don't mind.

I'm really enjoying doing these videos, they may not be award winning but it's my hobby and nobody likes to constantly be told that what they do is ****.
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Hmm, a three minute dump and search of the chinwag thread:

Great chinwag guys!
chinwag is great
great episode guys.
Great episode!
Excellent episiode! +1 on Flash Gordon Craig!
Great video!
Great video guys!


so not sure, bluntly, what you are on about. Trust me, if I thought it was **** you'd in no certain terms would know about it mateI I may not agree with the content, and bluntly what Spencer knows about pinball I could print on a postage stamp, you atleast are honest about your lack of knowledge and want to learn, but surely as someone who does football videos you realise not everyone agrees with you?

Gerry I've seen speak about 10 times and he says pretty much the exact same thing over and over, and he did again. You saying I'm saying its **** would be someone saying Michael Parkinson was shiit because he had Rod Hull and Emu on,

I've twice given you some technical feedback if you don't take feedback as a gift that's your problem not mine!
 
So, Kris makes a channel for others to watch and enjoy at his own considerable time and expense. It is a hobby and a passion to him and he’s not exactly making coin off it. To watch costs you nothing. You don’t have to watch if you don’t want to, there’s plenty of other pinball content out there.

Just consider all this before having a pop.
 
Gonzo said:
Neil, please allow me to be blunt and I hope that I don't sound discourteous.

Your Emmy sounds wonderful but I'm not trying to create an award winning show here. I'm merely trying to chart my journey as I discover pinball and grow into the hobby. If people want to watch that's great but primarily it was about archiving games and stories whilst learning as much as I can. Most importantly it's about having fun. I really love pinball machines and I'm excited every time I see one. I can't begin to explain how excited I was for Craig to come over, to pop over to your fantastic tournament and Pinfest was the highlight of my year. I'm just trying to have a good time and I love making videos as anyone who knows me will testify.

Without wishing to start a p1$$ing contest, making videos is what I do. I'm happy to concede that it's not a patch on the giant that is BT but I did 7 million views last year on YouTube alone. I may not know as much as you but I know a little bit and enough that I've made it my job during difficult circumstances and the loss of my plumbing company. I have all the gear and a little bit of an idea so whilst I was filming stuff for my day job I thought I'd do a bit of pinball on the side.

I would probably take your critique a little more seriously if you didn't say something negative after almost every video. I can't be bothered trawling back through the archives but in short you ain't got a lot of positive things to say about the videos. That in itself is not particularly conducive to the general upbeat and excited nature of the channel which is really about having a laugh.

I'm happy to take new ideas on board and suggestions for videos but ultimately I'll make videos that I enjoy. Your comments about 'taking every bit of feedback and spending a lot of time reflecting on it and figuring out what's worth doing' just ain't for me mate. I have to produce two videos a day to pay the bills so I want the pinball videos to be fun and a distraction.

I think you summed it up before the last podcast when you said "I wonder if Gerry has anything new to say?". That was the nail on the head really because there's nothing new for you here. You already know everything and everyone but I don't so just let me crack on if you don't mind.

I'm really enjoying doing these videos, they may not be award winning but it's my hobby and nobody likes to constantly be told that what they do is ****.
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I was bedridden for a couple of hours last night with a disease flare, and took the opportunity to watch your ‘I sold my Avengers: Infinity Quest‘ and Pinball Flipper Skills videos.

I really enjoyed them. I liked the ‘player’s view’ of the playfield, as it was not as confusing as those overhead Twitch streaming shots (which assume you know what you’re looking at already) and I really enjoyed your explanation of all the shots on A:IQ and what you liked/disliked about the pin. Unlike the guys from STDM (who seem to be popular US pinball video makers) you got to the point and stayed on it - you didn’t rabbit on tonnes to show what a clever witty s***e you were when I just wanted to watch about pinball!

It was also nice seeing someone who isn’t a world-championship pinball player demonstrating a pin :)

The Flipper Skills videos were good because they were being demo’d by a real player on a real machine, in real time. Quite a few of the other skills videos I’ve seen seem to be done with CGI.

The production values also seemed very high - at least compared to board game video reviews I’m used to seeing. The videos were clearly lit and succinctly edited.

So, carry on with what you’re doing :)
 
windoesnot said:
So, Kris makes a channel for others to watch and enjoy at his own considerable time and expense. It is a hobby and a passion to him and he’s not exactly making coin off it. To watch costs you nothing. You don’t have to watch if you don’t want to, there’s plenty of other pinball content out there.

Just consider all this before having a pop.
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if something posts something on a forum no matter what it is be prepared to take feedback both good and bad. if you can’t take that then don’t post it on a forum, but I don’t see anyone “having a pop” Other than Kris having a go at me!

its like this forum Ian if you don’t like what people post you can ignore them too.

Neil.
 
Gonzo, just keep doing what your doing. The chin wag is thoroughly enjoyable, the humour element is great, and it appeals to everyone in the hobby.
Ive watched other pinball related vids and streams, and tbh some of them are as much fun, as sitting on the toilet in the dark !
 
Slimetime said:
So what are peoples thoughts on Star Wars then?
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Best game I have played, but then I have one, so maybe I am bias. However, all my non-pinball mates love when they play it. It is probably the most misunderstood game, you just need time with it.
 
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