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Thoughts On The Walking Dead

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stoptap

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Managed to play a Walking Dead today for the first time. I love the look of it and think it has some decent code going on. But like most Sterns it has glaring design errors. I lost way too many balls SDTM from successful shots. It was a 50/50 split on drains from the Prison magnet and the exit from the pop bumpers area.
That big figure is WAY too big too.
It's a pity because the game could have been a cracker. I wonder how much testing Stern actually put into their games. They always seem to rush them out with incomplete code and one or two poorly designed areas.
 
The game is a cracker, mine is set up correctly so I don't get anywhere near that many sdtm drains.
 
replicas said:
The game is a cracker, mine is set up correctly so I don't get anywhere near that many sdtm drains.
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Seconded. It is a very very challenging game, but i've not noticed STDM's being a problem on Daz's machine.

I think in a previous version of the code it used to drop the ball STDM' but doesn't it do a little wiggle now when it releases the ball?
 
I remember the groans when we first saw this at a show 18 months ago, we (me, @Sgt GrizZ, @Will, and Tom) were in a car and we got @johnwhitfield on speakerphone to tell him it was 'OK' when we all thought it was a bit lame.

Since then the code has made the game into a top title in my opinion. Watch the Bowen tutorial video and then have a go when you know where to shoot and with an idea of the rules on a well set up game, I bet you see its appeal.
 
lukewells said:
Seconded. It is a very very challenging game, but i've not noticed STDM's being a problem on Daz's machine.
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Same as on mine, set it up correct and its not much of an issue, can still happen but not overly so.

TWD needs a more lax tilt as it is a drain monster if you're careless and bigger moves are needed, it reminds me of Iron Man in its difficulty, one of the main reasons I love it
 
I really like the theme and artwork. Seems a shame my first games were on one that wasn't very well set up.
 
One of the best games out there. Up there with Metallica, almost as good as AC/DC and LOTR. Far better than 90% of the 90s games. Sure it has flaws (not least that mine doesn't ****ing work at the moment:mad::mad::mad:), should have come with a shaker and a topper for the price but I think it will go down as a hit in the longer term. If you hate sterns then it won't change your mind. Should of had video clips/lcd and call outs from the film but in terms of gameplay I love it. If you only played the early code then you need to give it another chance. The same way the updated code took Metallica from being a dud to a good game. Still some coding needs to be done on the game and if you have it set up at a very slight angle then the SDTM pops will kill the enjoyment
 
They messed up the theme with it. It all looks like cheap tat! And compared to Star Trek the build quality is total crap.

Here's a good video which will explain exactly what I mean:

 
I've seen that video and I'm not impressed by the professionalism of the presenters. They sound like a couple of surly teenagers with nothing of any value to say.

Against that video try this one by PAPApinball:


Bowen Kerins really shows what TWD can do and it's awesome. At the end of his 41 minute demo Bowen concludes "The code has really transformed The Walking Dead into an excellent pinball machine."

If you don't want to watch the whole 41 minutes of game play just start at the 40 minute point and listen to Bowen's final words and obvious enthusiasm for the game.
 
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johnwhitfield said:
One of the best games out there. Up there with Metallica, almost as good as AC/DC and LOTR. Far better than 90% of the 90s games. Sure it has flaws (not least that mine doesn't ****ing work at the moment:mad::mad::mad:), should have come with a shaker and a topper for the price but I think it will go down as a hit in the longer term. If you hate sterns then it won't change your mind. Should of had video clips/lcd and call outs from the film but in terms of gameplay I love it. If you only played the early code then you need to give it another chance. The same way the updated code took Metallica from being a dud to a good game. Still some coding needs to be done on the game and if you have it set up at a very slight angle then the SDTM pops will kill the enjoyment
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I certainly don't hate Stern and am in fact looking to buy my first one. I just think they rush the games out and it can damage the perception of what could be a fantastic game when properly sorted.
 
Andrew Stockdale said:
I certainly don't hate Stern and am in fact looking to buy my first one. I just think they rush the games out and it can damage the perception of what could be a fantastic game when properly sorted.
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That's totally true mate, it's great the they have updates and tweaks available after release but releasing really sh1tty code just to get a game out shows a lack of respect to the consumer who won't be happy as shown by the numpties in the first video.
 
If I had the money for a newish Stern, this is the machine I would buy. Again, not noticed excessive ball drains on Darren's machine. Looks and sounds great and such a deep game with loads to go for. Struggle to fault it tbh.
 
Love mine, and as for the video, not watched but I also have a Star Trek and love that, but don't think the walking dead is inferior ? ( but hey I only play them for fun )
I am shallow Hal though and am a sucker for a theme, which is why I want an Avengers, and sopranos
 
I think we all have selective memory about Code. When I picked up a Congo it had code version 0.20 on it. Presumably it shipped liked that. It lit up and you could knock a few balls about but it wasn't a finished polished game. Not sure how many revisions there were but the last code was 2.0 so I'm guessing quite a lot was changed.after release date.

What I suspect has changed more is people's expectations. 20 years ago most machines were in the wild. Poor code wouldn't be as notable when you were only playing a few games. In a home environment missing modes etc are far more noticeable

What isn't acceptable IMO is hipping a game with basic code and then leaving it like that. There was a rumour 6 onths ago that TWD code had been abandoned If this had been the case the game would have been so-so at best.
 
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I love mine too, the whole look of it and theme. I'm a novice and this is the only table I have played at length. I'll admit it can be tough and 9/10 games I'll get a crap score, but the 10th game will make it all the more rewarding. I'm ready to blow human heads off sometimes never mind zombies, but after walking away for an hour I'm itching to play it again. Biggest problem on mine is the crossbow not working as it should. Hopefully a replacement motor under warranty will fix the issue.
 
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Marvello said:
I love mine too, the whole look of it and theme. I'm a novice and this is the only table I have played at length. I'll admit it can be tough and 9/10 games I'll get a crap score, but the 10th game will make it all the more rewarding. I'm ready to blow human heads off sometimes never mind zombies, but after walking away for an hour I'm itching to play it again. Biggest problem on mine is the crossbow not working as it should. Hopefully a replacement motor under warranty will fix the issue.
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I had the same problem with the crossbow on mine. Thanks to Phil at PH a new motor fixed the problem and now all is as it should be.
Great game and gets better with each update
 
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