Just killed Grendel... Level 65
Pinball info
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Stern Venom
- Thread starter Jsyjamie
- Start date
Managed to get to Phase 3 of Knull on level 65 then drained ;(
Spent more time yesterday evening playing and learning the game. I actually prefer Venom to Foo Fighters. It's a bladdy cracker!
KNULL DEFEATED 
Looking forward to playing this one more then I encounter it
Enjoyed the handful of games I had on it in LA
Enjoyed the handful of games I had on it in LA
Doggard
Site Supporter
Played it today at Funland, it’s ok, doesn’t play as fast as it looked on the streams, maybe because of how it’s set up. It’s fun, has some nice shots, and flows lovely. But when it comes down to bang for buck, it’s embarrassing. It looks like a home pin, in a pro cabinet. It has zero pinball moments, the fast locks are cool at first, but soon become meaningless. I guess the premium/ le is a bit more entertaining, which tbh can’t be hard. I give it 6 out of 10
Let’s hope Eddy is as burnt out on fan layouts as we are and he puts some of that shadow magic down on paper next time round.
Reuse the shadow layout if it was a fluke, with Elwin, Jack and now Spooky putting out some fast flowing, mostly new/fresher layouts and horizontal shoots and loops proving popular, these copy past fan layouts have an up hill battle.
Reuse the shadow layout if it was a fluke, with Elwin, Jack and now Spooky putting out some fast flowing, mostly new/fresher layouts and horizontal shoots and loops proving popular, these copy past fan layouts have an up hill battle.
Once you play it you'll see why the fast locks and the code could not support any other layout. The game is designed to be super fast, with the ball coming back to the flipper immediately, fan layout is the best for that.
Decent video of why I personally think it would only suit a fan layout. Obviously doesn't help if you don't like them.
Played maybe 6 or 8 games on Neil's LE at PBR today and yesterday. Of course it was good fun to play something new but it definitely didn't make me want to buy one. Also the machine should come with an epilepsy warning, I know it's a Dwight Sullivan but it must be his worst game yet for blinding you.
Jib
Site Supporter
Took a trip to Retroids to try out Venom. Played about 20 games, didn’t do great but think I got a decent feel for it. Battled Grendel several times but failed to get past phase 3.
Yes the pro looks a bit odd and cheap with everything pushed to the back and the horseshoe gap where the prem/le mech is looks pretty big but once you’re playing it, it doesn’t matter too much, it’s not like there’s loads less shots than a typical fan layout. The steep flipper angle took a bit of getting use to, the center ramp looked like it should be an easy shot but it took a while for me to find it consistently.
I’m not sure about the sjps in multiballs auto awarding the mini bosses, I think I would have preferred to actually play those modes. Changing hosts gives you different things to think about, even on the pro. I felt like there was enough to explore on the game to keep it interesting at home for a while.
Overall I was more impressed than I thought I’d be, especially with it being a pro. I’d definitely like to play it more on location and defeat Grendel at least and I wish there was one closer. IMO it’s a decent game but competing with other modern sterns for limited space and money at home I wouldn’t pick it over several other spike 2s unless you love the theme or you just like to try a lot of different games in a home environment. I do think it’s a great location game for those that know about insider connected, you’re going to feel like you’re making progress every time you play.
I also played CCr while I was there and I’d pick Venom over that, I only played 1 game and was 1 bad guy away from getting the wizard mode. I felt I was done after that 1 game. Not sure if there’s more to the game than I realise but I think people that have ordered one and never played it might be surprised by how easy it is. It did look good with the large colour screen, toys, art etc and plays very smoothly so I can see it still being popular with some but I do think it needs that extra code that is hopefully still coming.
Note on Retroids in general, games are set up nicely for casuals, not very steep, loose tilts, very low replays. I only played Venom, CCr and DP but they were all fully working and seemed maintained. £1 for 1 game, £2 for 3. Bar, toilets and a few seats.
Yes the pro looks a bit odd and cheap with everything pushed to the back and the horseshoe gap where the prem/le mech is looks pretty big but once you’re playing it, it doesn’t matter too much, it’s not like there’s loads less shots than a typical fan layout. The steep flipper angle took a bit of getting use to, the center ramp looked like it should be an easy shot but it took a while for me to find it consistently.
I’m not sure about the sjps in multiballs auto awarding the mini bosses, I think I would have preferred to actually play those modes. Changing hosts gives you different things to think about, even on the pro. I felt like there was enough to explore on the game to keep it interesting at home for a while.
Overall I was more impressed than I thought I’d be, especially with it being a pro. I’d definitely like to play it more on location and defeat Grendel at least and I wish there was one closer. IMO it’s a decent game but competing with other modern sterns for limited space and money at home I wouldn’t pick it over several other spike 2s unless you love the theme or you just like to try a lot of different games in a home environment. I do think it’s a great location game for those that know about insider connected, you’re going to feel like you’re making progress every time you play.
I also played CCr while I was there and I’d pick Venom over that, I only played 1 game and was 1 bad guy away from getting the wizard mode. I felt I was done after that 1 game. Not sure if there’s more to the game than I realise but I think people that have ordered one and never played it might be surprised by how easy it is. It did look good with the large colour screen, toys, art etc and plays very smoothly so I can see it still being popular with some but I do think it needs that extra code that is hopefully still coming.
Note on Retroids in general, games are set up nicely for casuals, not very steep, loose tilts, very low replays. I only played Venom, CCr and DP but they were all fully working and seemed maintained. £1 for 1 game, £2 for 3. Bar, toilets and a few seats.
Thanks for this
This is the review I’d have written if I was less snarky by nature (and hadn’t been playing Venom Pro in a line-up of entirely Spike 2 Sterns) 
I personally also found the presentation of the ruleset somewhat non-intuitive, which I felt made it less fun on walk-up than it might have been - especially if I imagine myself in the shoes of a casual player. Also this. I assume the one in Medway Pinball Club is an original/CC continued, but I personally found it too simple/repetitive (and I’m not a great player). It was in a tournament, we were stood behind @Matt Vince and, honestly, his ball times were so long that I almost evolved into a 30-ft tall monster waiting for him to finish (not a criticism of Matt, obviously) 
I saw a lot of the game watching him and Daniel play, and it definitely needs some extra code beyond CC’d, although the theme, toys and simplicity are obviously great for kids/locations/casual players
Jib
Site Supporter
I do think it could be confusing if you haven’t watched someone else play or read the rules. I watch a lot of streams so had more of an idea of what I was aiming to do before I played but if you just walked up to it you may not know you have to get combos to fill the grid and just endlessly hit one shot of each combo and never complete a grid line. It’s not like other games say like foo or jp where you can just hit any lit shot until you start a mode.
I just walked up and played, and assumed my knowledge of Stern pins would tide me through
I kept being offered ‘team-ups’ during multiball, but was confused about what they did, or how I unlocked the ones that were ‘greyed out’. It felt (wrongly or rightly) like a tournament maximiser’s dream, i.e. working out the best way to stick multipliers or combo on particular shots/multiballs/stacks to get the highest possible score.
I just guess I (mostly) prefer games where the maths is hidden, and the objectives are ’shoot the T-Rex’ or ‘destroy the building’, not ‘stack the 3x multiplier on a Carnage multiball using +1 team-up Combo’ - and, on my plays, that’s how it felt
Yes absolutely this. I was lost at first and had to watch streams and read up, but once you crack it there's a cool and very different to a usual pinball game waiting for you.
The levels really do help. I was fighting Grendel at level 23 for what felt like ages and didn't get past Phase 1
I still haven’t worked out all the rules and what the grids mean, but the more I play it the more I like it. I have defeated Knull at level 82, so I missed out on level 99 achievement. Only took me a total of 5 hours gaming time .
Good news is I chose another character to begin game with. I chose Wolverine who has another cool tune along with another background picture.
I really like the direction Stern have taken with coding to get you to play more to unlock new content. I have a feeling Jaws will have taken it to the next level to get you hooked.
I’ve been playing this game on location at Funland London.
. Good news is I chose another character to begin game with. I chose Wolverine who has another cool tune along with another background picture.
I really like the direction Stern have taken with coding to get you to play more to unlock new content. I have a feeling Jaws will have taken it to the next level to get you hooked.
I’ve been playing this game on location at Funland London.
I'm currently at level 82 on Knull getting my **** handed to me on second play through.
Defeated him at low level 70 something first time!
Defeated him at low level 70 something first time!
Looks like we may be getting Venomised Ghost Rider.
www.knapparcade.org
Stern Pinball’s Upcoming Venom Topper Appears to be Based on Venomized Ghost Rider
Now that people have started receiving their Venom Limited Edition pinball machines in their homes, they've started poking around in the game's settings and code...and finding secrets. Not only does it appear that Venom's upcoming official topper activates a special mode in the game, it looks...
www.knapparcade.org
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Idiotic question
Wondered why I couldn't fight Knull as 'Cap. Now fixed in 0.96
Well I updated to .96 and just beat Knull as Captain America
Unlocked Wolverine.
I love collecting the Mystery award as Captain America, you always get 'all of the above'.
Game is ace.
Unlocked Wolverine.
I love collecting the Mystery award as Captain America, you always get 'all of the above'.
Game is ace.
Just had a monster game..
2.4 billion just on Grendel...
Unfortunately it was my last ball as I was also Knull qualified and had 5 ball multiball stacked awaiting the sixth lock.
If I hadn't of fluffed it I reckon 4 maybe 5 billion+.
2.4 billion just on Grendel...
Unfortunately it was my last ball as I was also Knull qualified and had 5 ball multiball stacked awaiting the sixth lock.
If I hadn't of fluffed it I reckon 4 maybe 5 billion+.
Had @Matt Adams, @robotgreg, @JustLikeMe , @Rav, @backflipper and a few others over last night for some Venom action.
Devil-Mish
Site Supporter
Damn Alpha, amazing set up. Thanks for sharing your experiences on Venom, I went back to Retroids to pretty much play exclusively that on the weekend and my brother and I just played it almost solidly for 3 hours, I absolutely love it too.
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Ok, this is cool. Really looking forward to getting my Premium set up this weekend.
Even more stuff listed in the readme!
LE/PREMIUM V0.97 - FEBRUARY 8, 2024
===================================
** FIXED:
- Sometimes TOXIN TEAMUP wasn't allowing the choosing of TEAM UP characters
if DOPPELGANGER was started at the same time.
** NEW:
- Added speech callouts for main shots when lit or urgent. VENOM and the
current HOST will occasionally make suggestions about what the next shot
should be. Sometimes they'll even argue about which shot to make!
- Added 29 new Achievements -
- Carnage Hurry-Up
Look out for Chaos Start Carnage Hurry-Up
Oh the Carnage Collect 75M or more during Carnage Hurry-Up
- BLOOD LUST
Carnage is Hungry Start BLOOD LUST
Carnage is Full Collect 100M or more during BLOOD LUST
- RAMPAGE
It's a Rampage! Start RAMPAGE
On a Rampage! Collect 50M or more
- Bell Tower
The Bell Tolls for thee Collect 20M or more
The pain is real. Get Playfield Multipliers up to 7X
- Bell Tower Frenzy
The Sound is Deafening Start Bell Tower Frenzy
I can't hold it together Get the value to the MAX
- QUICK MULTIBALL
We got this! Start Quick Multiball as GWENOM
Let's go NOW! Start Quick Multiball as WOLVERINE
- Spider Sense
I Sense a Battle Complete Spider Sense during a Battle Mode
I Sense Mayhem Complete Spider Sense during Mayhem
Multiball
I Sense Carnage Complete Spider Sense during Carnage
Multiball
I Sense Toxin Complete Spider Sense during Toxin Team-Up
- STACKING
Two for one! Stack Mayhem Multiball and Carnage Multiball
Three for one! Stack Mayhem, Carnage Multiball, with Doppelgannger
Four for one! Stack Mayhem, Carnage Multiball, Doppelganger, with
Bell Tower Frenzy
Five for one! Stack Mayhem, Carnage Multiball, Doppelganger, Bell
Tower Frenzy, and Spider-Sense Hurry- Up
- KLYNTAR MULTIBALL
The beginning of the end Start KLYNTAR MULTIBALL
Out of this world score 500M in KLYNTAR MULTIBALL
A World Destroyed Collect a Super Jackpot in Klyntar Multiball
- LIFETIME
500 Lights Lit Complete 500 mini-modes - Lifetime
Level up Master Go Up 1200 levels - Lifetime
Take them all out! Defeat 2500 Infected - Lifetime
- CHALLENGE MODE
KNULL POINTER Beat Knull starting at level 70
Knull it out Beat Knull starting at level 50
Knull way! Beat Knull starting at level 30
** TWEAKED:
- Changed the tunes for HULK, WOLVERINE, and CAPTAIN AMERICA. They now have
their own tunes.
- Moved the 2nd SCREAM from INFECTED DEFEATED to 58 from 50.
- Adjusted the choreography for the MINI MODE story display effect speech.
- Changed the default of the system adjustment "ACTION BUTTON BEHAVIOR" to:
"ENTER GAME PLAY MENU" -- action button enters the game play selection
screen, default value
*** MOVED TO SYSTEM 3.60 ***
Changed Play Again screen so that it will restart the previously selected
Game Play Mode.
Added Standard Adjustment "ACTION BUTTON BEHAVIOR", which controls the
behavior of the lockdown bar action button. Values are:
"DISABLED" -- action button does nothing in attract mode
"ENTER GAME PLAY MENU" -- action button enters the game play selection
screen, default value
"START GAME" -- action button start a game
Updated Service Menu->Util->Install->Home to set:
"FREE PLAY" to YES
"HSTD INITIALS" to 10 LETTER NAME
"HSTD RESET COUNT" to OFF
"KNOCKER VOLUME" to LOW
"USE INSIDER HOME TEAM" to FREE PLAY ONLY
Updated Service Menu->Util->Install->Competition to set:
"COMPETITION MODE" to YES
"PLAYER LANGUAGE SELECT" to NO
"TILT_WARNINGS" to 2
"GAME_RESTART" to NO
"COIN DOOR BALL SAVER" YES
"COIN DOOR DISABLE TILT" to YES
"LOST BALL RECOVERY" to NO
"PLAYER GAME MODE" to NO
"ALLOW LEFT+START TO END GAME" to NEVER
"ACTION BUTTON BEHAVIOR" to DISABLED
"USE INSIDER HOME TEAM" to OFF
"EXTRA BALL LIMIT" to NO EXTRA BALLS
"START BUTTON BEHAVIOR" to SINGLE CREDIT
"TARGET GAME TIME" to NO TARGET TIME
"TIMED PLUNGER" to OFF
"FLIPPER BALL LAUNCH" to OFF
Recommended steps to configure a game for a tourneyment are:
Service Menu->Util->Install->Default Setting
Service Menu->Util->Install->Competition
Various behind the scenes improvements for correctness and performance.
@JustLikeMe for someone that's now unlocked all current available characters I am relieved to see this.
- Changed the tunes for HULK, WOLVERINE, and CAPTAIN AMERICA. They now have
their own tunes.
- Changed the tunes for HULK, WOLVERINE, and CAPTAIN AMERICA. They now have
their own tunes.
I updated last night but it was nearly midnight when it had finished. I'll play tonight and report back.