STERN OF THE UNION ADDRESS – OCTOBER 2018
The Stern of the Union Address will be on the first Tuesday of every month (holiday and vacation pending!). Without further ado my fellow pinheads:
Stern Army Updates:
The Stern Army continues to grow with members spreading the word of pinball across the globe. Here are our newest members:
- Private Katie Schowengerdt of Missouri (Two Plumbers Brewery + Arcade)
- Private Mike Lund of Utah (Kiito’s Brewery and Quarters Arcade Bar)
- Private EJ Osis of Michigan (Offworld Arcade)
- Private Evan Williams of Michigan (Pinball Pete’s)
Congratulations to the following Stern Army members on their promotion from Private to Private First Class:
- Private First Class Neil Shelton of Colorado (Wonderland Brewing Company)
- Private First Class Brian Dye of West Virginia (Fallout Shelter)
- Private First Class Josh Noble of Missouri (Silverball)
For more information or to become a part of the Stern Army, please reach out to SternArmy@sternpinball.com
Stern Army Iron Maiden Legacy of the Beast Tournament:
Stern Pinball, Iron Maiden and the International Flipper Pinball Association are teaming up to sponsor a Stern Army High-Score Tournament on Iron Maiden Pro, Premium and LE pinball machines. Players can enter by participating in any IFPA-sanctioned Stern Army event that includes Iron Maiden in the tournament. Live standings and eligible events are located at https://www.ifpapinball.com/maiden/
Stern Pro Circuit:
Congratulations to all of the players and winners from the most recent Stern Pro Circuit events! Keith Elwin won his second Circuit event of the season at the Cleveland Pinball & Arcade Show and Raymond Davidson won his second Circuit event of the season at the Vancouver Flipout tournament. With only 7 events left on the 2018 Stern Pro Circuit calendar, who will be the 40 finalists competing in the Stern Pro Circuit final next March?
For full details on the Stern Pro Circuit and to keep up with the current standings, please visit – https://www.ifpapinball.com/circuit/
2018 Stern Pro Circuit Rankings – Top 10 | ||
1st | David Riel | Pittsburgh, PA |
2nd | Eric Stone | Fort Myers, FL |
3rd | Raymond Davidson | Mukilteo, WA |
4th | Steven Bowden | Franklin Township, NJ |
5th | Keith Elwin | Carlsbad, CA |
6th | Trent Augenstein | Delaware, OH |
7th | Adam Becker | Keswick, ON |
8th | Jim Belsito | Murrieta, CA |
9th | Colin Urban | Portland, OR |
10th | Robert Gagno | Burnaby, BC |
Upcoming Stern Pro Circuit Events:
Stern Pro Circuit Event | Date | Website |
Pinball Expo Flip Out Tournament | 10/18 – 10/21 | http://www.pinballexpo.net/flipouttourney.html |
Pittsburgh Pinball Open | 10/25 – 10/28 | https://www.ifpapinball.com/tournaments/view.php?t=27556 |
Danish Pinball Open | 10/27 – 10/28 | https://www.ifpapinball.com/tournaments/view.php?t=26127 |
24 Hour Final Battle at the Sanctum | 11/3-4 | https://www.ifpapinball.com/tournaments/view.php?t=23766 |
Chicago Pinball Expo:
The 34th annual Pinball Expo is coming up October 17-20 and there’s plenty of Stern activity for everyone to enjoy! Here’s a snapshot of activities planned throughout the week/end:
Thursday: The official Stern Pinball factory tour!
Thursday – Sunday: Stern Pro Circuit event – 2018 Pinball Expo Flip-out tournament. Over $10,000 in cash and prizes! All tournament details can be found here – http://pinballexpo.com/flipouttourney.html
Saturday: Seminars, seminars, seminars….Party!
M&M Show at the Portland Retro Gaming Expo (PRGE):
If you are attending PRGE, make sure to attend the M&M Show featuring our Senior Systems Engineer, Mark Guidarelli and our head of Stern QA and Field Test Group, Mike Vinikour. They will be hosting a presentation and behind the scenes look at all of the development and testing that is involved in bringing our games to life in addition to a Q&A session, “It Takes a Team to Build a Pinball”. Full details for PRGE can be found here – http://www.retrogamingexpo.com/schedule.php
Stern at TwitchCon 2018:
Stern will again have a presence at this year’s TwitchCon thanks to the help and support of our authorized dealer, Orange County Pinballs! Make sure to tune in to the Dead Flip stream where Jack Danger will be on site, streaming throughout the weekend.
Stern at ACE Comic Con 2018:
Stern will have a presence at this year’s Ace Comic Con thanks to the help and support of our authorized dealer, Hemispheres Amusement! The event is at Chicago’s Navy Pier from October 12-14.
Thrilla in Sternilla:
If you didn’t get a chance to witness this battle for the ages, check out the saved broadcast from this event which helped raise over $2,500 for the Project Pinball Charity and Path of Play!
Stern Pinball Arcade released for Oculus Rift:
Stern Pinball announced last month the release of the new Stern Pinball Arcade tables for Oculus Rift. Full details can be found in the official press release, but games will officially be available on the Oculus Rift app store, Rift Experiences, starting October 4th. Check out the live stream VR gameplay exclusive with Dead Flip’s Jack Danger.
Status of Code:
We are continuously working to update and improve software for our machines. There are always code updates and bug fixes in various stages of development; we will release them upon update completion. Here are some of the latest updates and the status of things in the works. As always, if you do encounter any bugs please feel free to provide information to bug.report@sternpinball.com:
- Deadpool – The next update is underway and will be released later this month.
- Batman ’66 – We hope you enjoyed last week’s release (v0.95.0) and there is still plenty in store! We are hard at work on the next upcoming update.
- Aerosmith v 1.06.0 was released last month, if you didn’t get a chance to check out the big update! KISS updates are currently in development with Ghostbusters still in line after the KISS release.
- Just because a game isn’t listed on here doesn’t mean there can’t be surprises from time to time.
- If you would like to join our mailing list for all code updates for any of our games, please send an e-mail to Code.Updates@sternpinball.com to sign up.
Accessories:
The Star Wars topper is still waiting on final approval before production can begin. We’ll make a formal announcement once it’s available. Iron Maiden and Deadpool accessories are all approved and we’re aiming to have these available for purchase during the holiday season. In the meantime, check out the following items currently available for purchase on the Stern Store:
- Limited supply – Iron Maiden Comic-Con Exclusive Comic
- Limited supply – Iron Maiden Comic-Con Exclusive Lithograph
- Official Stern Iron Maiden Pro Translite
- Official Stern Iron Maiden Premium Translite
- Autographed Iron Maiden Mini Foil Poster
- Limited supply – Dirty Donny Cyborg vs Wizard Poster and Zodiac Poster
- Stern Pinball Player Anti-Fatigue Mat
- Last call on all Game of Thrones accessories:
- Topper
- Shooter knob set
- Stark and Lannister side armor
- Premium Winter and Pro/LE art blades
All Stern Pinball accessories are also available to purchase from your local retailer – https://sternpinball.com/find-a-retailer
Stern Spotlight – Carson Gunby:
“Greetings everyone! My name is Carson Gunby and I am an IT Specialist here at Stern Pinball. I graduated from DePaul University before joining Stern in 2016. My role covers many of the “behind the scenes” operations at Stern. This includes making sure all the computer systems and network infrastructure are all up to the task of allowing our talented team to create all the great pinball games that we produce. Much like pinball, it’s a constantly advancing field that gives me plenty of new things to work on.
I also assist with much of the physical and electronic documentation that goes into the release of each title. This can include overviewing content posted on our site (such as this segment which you are reading right now) and the physical manuals packed with each game. Chances are you have probably read at least one thing I have had a hand in writing.
I’ve always enjoyed coin-op games so it’s great to have an inside role for this portion of the industry. Outside of the office I enjoy writing, messing with both new and old computer hardware, and collecting music. I am grateful to be a part of Stern as the legacy of pinball continues to move forward.”