Stern Announce TOPS

Stern Announce TOPS

Stern Pinball is excited to announce the release of its Tournament Pinball System (ToPS™). ToPS™ is a flexible, operator adjustable tournament system. Running a tournament with ToPS™ is easy; the pinball machine's computer does all the work and computations for the operator and location. Tournament pinball games earn more money.

Stern's Tournament Pinball System is an in-house tournament system. ToPS™ uses no phone lines, no servers, and gives full location privacy. Stern developed the ToPS™ system with these things in mind after consulting with many operators and location owners throughout the United States.

During its development, ToPS™ equipped games significantly increased in earnings, both from tournament play and practice play. Testing and development of ToPS™ has been shepherded at Stern over the last year by Lonnie Ropp, Director of Software, Joe Blackwell, Tech Service Director, and Dwight Sullivan, game software designer.

Locations recognized the increased earnings and value to customers of ToPS™ equipped games. "When we moved an older experimental tournament model to replace it with a non-tournament Monopoly™, the bar and its customers insisted on having its tournament game back," Joe Blackwell explained of the tests. "When we moved a tournament game from a bowling alley where it tested great to a nearby bar, some bowling customers started going to the bar."

There are three types of tournament modes. The first is Progressive Cash Prizes, where the payout grows with each play. The second is Fixed Cash Prizes, where the total payout amount is pre-set by the game operator. The third is Non-Cash Prizes, where points, tickets, merchandise, or other items of the game operator's choosing are awarded.

Tournaments can be crafted to fit the needs of the operators' business and the location type. ToPS™ adds numerous operator choices to Stern's Portals™ software for easy operator tournament set-up. Besides the type of tournament to run and when it starts and ends, adjustments include: cost of tournament play, number of winner places awarded prizes, adjustment of prize incrementing, and much more. The Portals™ accounting functions are augmented with many additions to provide complete tournament information to the operator. Players can also enter a PIN number for security.

The Tournament Pinball System can be installed in fifteen minutes or less. The ToPS™ contents include:
§ Dot matrix multi-color display to be installed on top of game backbox
§ Remote control, power supply for the display
§ Wired ‘Tournament Start' button for the game's lock-down bar
§ Connecting cable
§ Tournament board that is to be installed inside the backbox
§ Detailed manual
§ Location promotional material
Playboy and RollerCoaster Tycoon™ are pre-wired for ToPS™ installation, as will be future Stern pinball machines. An operator need only take out a few plastic plugs, mount the Tournament Start button in its existing hole, screw on the pcb and display, and plug in the cables.

The Tournament Pinball System can be moved from one pinball machine to another with great ease. Playboy, RollerCoaster Tycoon™, and future Stern pinball machines are ‘tournament ready' and can have ToPS™ affixed to them. The game operator can use his own dollar bill validator.

ToPS™ has custom text messaging. Using the remote control that is provided with the tournament display, the game operator can program food and drink specials, upcoming events, and any other information they would like to convey.

Courts have held that pinball is a game of skill. Nonetheless, Stern advises operators to check local laws, as they should for any tournament game.

There is a patent pending covering ToPS™.

Gary Stern says, "This is a great advance in pinball. Tournament is foremost in the minds of operators and players. Our experience and our earnings with tournament pinball showed us why everyone wants tournaments. ToPS™ earnings plus pinball resale value make pinball a great investment for operators."

SOURCE: Press Release