Dirty Pool Podcast - Ep32 - Gerry Stellenberg and the Multimorphic / P3 Platform

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The P3 has carved out a very different lane in modern pinball. Swappable modules, a ball tracked LCD playfield, physical mechs, and a platform that approaches game design from a completely different angle than most traditional machines. Gerry joins the Dirty Pool Podcast to talk about the origins of the Multimorphic platform, designing games around modular hardware, how different modules take advantage of the system in unique ways, and how the P3 has evolved over the years.

We also get into the balance between physical and digital integration in pinball, the realities of building a platform meant to support multiple experiences in one cabinet, and how players have responded to pinball that experiments outside the standard format.

🧬 Multimorphic / P3 Pinball https://www.multimorphic.com/

If you had a P3 cabinet, which module would you want to try first?

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00:00:00 - Multimorphic, P3, and the strange corner of modern pinball

00:01:21 - Gerry’s tech background before pinball

00:02:42 - P-ROC starts as a way to mess with existing machines

00:03:24 - Tracking a bouncing pinball in real time

00:04:48 - Infrared grids, multiple balls, and what the system actually sees

00:05:50 - P-ROC becomes the brain inside the P3

00:06:38 - Choosing modules and LCD playfields over a normal pinball machine

00:07:40 - Building new pinball tech when Stern was almost alone

00:08:41 - Fighting the “that’s not real pinball” reaction

00:10:35 - Roguelike pinball and software-only game ideas

00:11:23 - Asking players to trust an $11k unfamiliar platform

00:13:37 - Portal, first impressions, and the flipper feel debate

00:16:55 - How much of “different” is mechanical and how much is psychology

00:17:49 - Why operators are nervous about putting P3s on location

00:20:03 - Old hardware criticisms and the problem of lasting first impressions

00:22:11 - The LCD gets judged before people actually play the game

00:22:55 - Princess Bride, physical mechs, and not hiding behind the screen

00:24:41 - Final Resistance and Scott Danesi’s traditional P3 approach

00:25:45 - The spaceship cannon and P3’s back trough system

00:26:40 - Lexy Lightspeed as the overlooked early module

00:27:39 - Full modules, add-on games, and how the P3 library works

00:28:55 - Cosmic Cart Racing and online multiplayer pinball

00:31:05 - Third-party developers building directly on the platform

00:31:51 - Original themes, licensed IP, and keeping games available

00:33:47 - Weird Al, Portal, and why recognizable licenses changed things

00:35:04 - Scorbit, APIs, and community integrations

00:35:57 - What it actually costs to buy into P3

00:36:40 - Shipping modules through UPS and swapping cabinet art

00:37:36 - Why the P3 is heavier than people expect

00:39:00 - Module seams, alignment, and the transition between playfields

00:42:00 - Upgrades, backboxes, scoop changes, and replacing older parts

00:43:31 - Backward compatibility and the fear of a future P3 generation

00:45:01 - Customer trust when people buy into an ecosystem

00:48:00 - International shipping and getting P3s outside the US

00:49:03 - Portal as Gerry’s favorite Multimorphic experience

00:49:53 - Eighteen balls in Portal and Heist taking the multiball crown

00:52:08 - What tracked balls let designers do differently

00:54:00 - Texas pinball, other manufacturers, and the hard part of building games

00:57:01 - Cabinet materials, plywood, and build quality questions

00:59:59 - Server checks, ownership, and whether games keep working offline

01:03:00 - Virtual targets, screen-based scoring, and every pixel becoming gameplay

01:05:59 - Publishing original P3 games as a third-party developer

01:07:34 - Filling the lower screen without making it feel empty

01:09:00 - Portal as the current high-water mark and what comes next

01:12:00 - Future mechs reaching farther into the lower playfield

01:14:59 - Where people can find and play a P3 in person

01:16:49 - Final plugs, Buffalo Pinball, and finding the P3 for yourself

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