The Pinball Megathread [Physical and Virtual] - PinballFX2 out on XBLA!

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The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Games > The Pinball Megathread [Physical and Virtual] - PinballFX2 out on XBLA!

WhiteHowler: Apr 3, 2001; Yarr.

Welcome to the Pinball Megathread!

The purpose of this thread is to serve as a place for discussion of all things pinball: both physical tables and pinball video games. I expect that most of the discussion will skew toward the virtual pinball side (especially Pinball FX2), and that's fine. Feel free to use and abuse this thread to find Xbox Live friends to play with or dick-wave about your high score.

Pinball Video Games

Video pinball has a rich history. The current line-up looks something like this:

The Pinball Arcade (Xbox Live Arcade, PSN, iOS, Android)
The newest title by the same team that created the excellent Pinball Hall of Fame collections (see below), Pinball Arcade focuses on classic real-world tables from different manufacturers including Williams, Bally, Stern, and Gottlieb. It includes the best physics engine digital pinball has to offer, and while the initial release has a few bugs (losing balls, UI issues), it's a solid title that promises to be updated with new DLC tables for a very long time.

Tables available on all platforms:
- Tales of the Arabian Nights
- Theater of Magic
- Ripley's Believe it or Not
- Black Hole

Tables available on iOS:
- Bride of Pinbot
- Medieval Madness

Pinball FX2 (Xbox Live Arcade)
The sequel to Zen Studios' popular pinball game is now out, and it offers a vastly updated engine, completely reworking the physics and giving the graphics a nice overhaul. Rather than paying for a self-contained game, players download the Pinball FX2 "framework" for free, with the option to demo and purchase individual tables. The FX2 Core pack contains four new tables that feature new playfield elements and a few off-the-wall gameplay options that wouldn't be possible on a real, physical machine. Owners of the previous Pinball FX game can import their tables into the new engine for free. There are many other tables now available, including a Marvel Comics pack and several standalone tables with varying themes and features.

Pinball Hall of Fame - The Williams Collection (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii)
Williams created many of the all-time classic pinball tables, including Pinbot, Black Knight, and Funhouse. The Hall of Fame features about a dozen of these tables, and they're all faithful recreations of the originals. The physics are among the best ever offered in a pinball video game, and the controls feel perfect. The only downside is that no licensed tables are included in the game, though this tended to be more of a Bally/Midway thing until later years. You can pick this collection up for $20 or less, and no pinball fanatic should be without it.

Visual Pinball (PC)
The downside of most pinball games is that due to licensing restrictions they can't offer what most pinball fans really want -- those classic licensed machines. Visual Pinball is a free engine that allows designers to create tables using a fairly robust toolset. Many popular tables that are otherwise unavailable in digital format can be obtained (the legality of downloading copyrighted tables is questionable at best, so while VP itself is free and legal, please don't link to any table sites here). The downside is that even after years of development, getting everything working correctly can be a colossal pain in the rear end. Also, the physics often don't feel quite right, and the table designs are only as good as the community creating them. Still, it's the only way to play The Addams Family.

If you're looking to go "retro", my recommendation would be to track down the venerable Epic Pinball games (which, sadly, take a bit of tweaking to run on modern PC's) or the more recent Pro Pinball series (especially Big Race USA).

Pinball Machines

There has been over a dozen pinball manufacturers over the years, with major players once including Williams, Bally/Midway, Gottlieb, and Stern.

Unfortunately, pinball has fallen upon very hard times over the past decade, and most of these companies are now defunct. For the past several years, Stern has been the only company still mass-producing pinball machines, releasing two titles each year. These are almost always based on modern TV or movie licenses, and while the games are usually technically sound, some pinball fans feel that Stern's tables lack the "soul" of classic early-90's machines, and there are many complaints about cheap-looking table elements.

A new company called Jersey Jack is currently producing a new table based on The Wizard of Oz, which has generated a lot of buzz and may promote good competition with Stern. The new table should be available sometime toward the end of 2011 or early 2012.

Goon-approved favorite tables to check out if you get the opportunity:
Bally/Midway: The Addams Family, Twilight Zone
Williams: Star Trek: The Next Generation, Medieval Madness, Black Knight
Stern: Lord of the Rings, Tron: Legacy, Spider-Man
Gottlieb: Any classic mechanical tables from the 60's-70's

CzarChasm's tips for newbies:

quote:

For anyone looking for pinball tips I have a few for beginners. Please note that while most of my experience is virtual, these tips should apply to real pinball tables as well.

1) The Flippers control the lights
I'm sure there is a technical term for this, but the short version is this: There are sets of lights placed all over the board, usually in groups of three to four. When your ball rolls over the sensor for one of those lights, the light lights up. The key to note here is that if you need to activate all three lights to get the multiplier going you have to shift the lights around to correspond to where your ball will be going next. In the example below the X indicates the light is off and an O indicates the light is on. Hitting the right flipper will shift the light one position to the right, and the left flipper will move it left.

XOX -> XXO or XOX -> OXX

This is helpful for:

2) Learn to activate the "ball save"
This is probably the first thing I need to know how to do on any pinball table. The ball save is what will allow you to keep playing even after your ball has fallen out of play. Typically, this is done by activating the four lights in the lanes near the flippers at the bottom. Certain tables have other rules, for example the PFX Speed table activates the kickers the first time you light the lights and the ball save the second time. On that note:

3) Activate the ball saves when appropriate
On most tables, the ball save will be activated automatically at launch, and will turn itself off after a minute or two. If you manually activate the ball save when it is already active it will not extend the time. It will still end when the original timer runs down.

4) Slow Down
If you want to keep the ball in play, and get a higher score, slow things down a bit. Don't hit the flipper right away when the ball hits (or is about to hit) most of the time that will send it careening wildly and it will be harder to judge where it is going to go next. Even if you are working against a clock it is a good idea to focus your shots.

5) Learn the Tables
The rules will be generally the same for most tables, but it is a good idea to get used to the layouts and see what each table has as a goal to get the jackpots. Also of note, some tables are nicer than others. Most will wipe out a multiplier when you lose a ball, but some will allow you to continue whatever progress you made previously (hit ramp 10 times out of 20)

6) Pay Attention to the lights
When you activate a challenge on a table, chances are good that a specific ramp will light up with a blinking indicator. Most tables will give you a timer countdown to hit that ramp. If you hit it, see if it is still blinking. If so, hit it again, if not, look for another blinking light.

WhiteHowler fucked around with this message at Apr 17, 2012 around 20:08

# ? Oct 29, 2010 21:18

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? May 21, 2013 07:54

WhiteHowler: Apr 3, 2001; Yarr.

Play pinball with goons!

FX2/Zen has some neat multiplayer options, and your Wizard Score (which can unlock avatar awards) is directly based on the number of people on your friends list who play the game. Pinball Arcade only has basic friends list leaderboard comparison, but it's fun to see how badly ParallaxScroll has mutilated your high score.

Please consult the following Google Docs spreadsheets for a list of pinball goons on your platform of choice:

Xbox Live
Playstation Network

To keep from crapping up the thread with "add me" requests, PM WhiteHowler to be added to the Xbox Live spreadsheet, or PM Tempura Wizard to be added to the PSN spreadsheet. Please include a list of the pinball games you currently own (FX2/PA on Xbox; Zen/Marvel/PA on PSN).

(If you don't have PM's, you're a terrible human being. But go ahead and post in the thread and we'll hopefully see it and get you added too.)

WhiteHowler fucked around with this message at Apr 23, 2012 around 15:56

# ? Oct 29, 2010 21:19

Robdog: Nov 6, 2002

Having a blast with this, added a few people yesterday. If anybody wants another pinball buddy my gamertag is robdog49er

# ? Oct 29, 2010 21:45

Billy Gnosis: May 18, 2006; Our unsung hero has gone insane.

For some reason the new pinball fx2 tables reminded me of Extreme Pinball for the PC, but after re-looking it up, I don't think it actually has the "doesn't work in real life" things in it.

I guess i'll throw my GT in as well: Backlash Jack

Also are any of the premium FX1 tables worth it (not counting SF2 and Rocky and Bullwinkle) when compared to FX2 stuff?

# ? Oct 29, 2010 21:54

barren_sky: May 6, 2004

Throw me on that FX multiplayer list. Together, we can unlock those wizard robes for our avatars! I'm at about 7,500 so far. Only 92,500 to go!
GT: Tele Viper 101

# ? Oct 29, 2010 21:58

Zero Karizma: Jul 8, 2004; It's ok now, just tell me what happened...

You made the thread, you magnificent bastard!

GT: Zero Karizma

Let's get our loving Wizard Robes!

# ? Oct 29, 2010 21:59

Stealthed Zombie: Dec 21, 2007; I just met you,
And this is crazy.

I cut my wrists up,
So turn me maybe?

Feel free to add me, as some of you already have done

GT: Spatula King

Also I would love to hear some general strategies for some of the tables. Well, not really strategies but more along the lines of the kinds of things I should be going for. I have yet to figure out what the gently caress is going on in "Rome", but I have a better idea about "Agents". Just any tips would be awesome.

# ? Oct 29, 2010 22:04

Zero Karizma: Jul 8, 2004; It's ok now, just tell me what happened...

I'd love to give strategies, but damned if I know.

To contribute, from the other thread, an unanswered question for everyone:

What view mode do you guys like? I think View 3 is probably the best mix of being able to see what's going on up top, but giving you enough leeway to protect the bottom.

# ? Oct 29, 2010 22:08

homeless snail: Mar 14, 2007

The wizard thinks he's so loving good, let's kick his rear end and steal his robes. GT: a bad priest

Zero Karizma posted:

I'd love to give strategies, but damned if I know.

To contribute, from the other thread, an unanswered question for everyone:

What view mode do you guys like? I think View 3 is probably the best mix of being able to see what's going on up top, but giving you enough leeway to protect the bottom.

View 3 is good, but I think 4 is better. Pretty much the same thing but with a wider FOV. I swear to god, though, if they had a rotated view that just showed the entire table, I'd have to figure out how to mount my TV sideways.

# ? Oct 29, 2010 22:16

Stealthed Zombie: Dec 21, 2007; I just met you,
And this is crazy.

I cut my wrists up,
So turn me maybe?

Zero Karizma posted:

I'd love to give strategies, but damned if I know.

To contribute, from the other thread, an unanswered question for everyone:

What view mode do you guys like? I think View 3 is probably the best mix of being able to see what's going on up top, but giving you enough leeway to protect the bottom.

This was a question I was going to ask as well. Also I'm not quite fond of Pasha (Is that the name?) simply because of the jarring scrolling view. Does one of the other views change that?

# ? Oct 29, 2010 22:16

ixnay: Jun 11, 2002; rainbow dash why are you making such a cool face?!

I grabbed FX2 so I could play the FX1 tables in it. Probably gonna grab the FX2 tables when I have more money.

GT is ixnay37 if anyone wants to add me.

I didn't have much of an interest in pinball until gamefly sent me Pinball HOF, which was just fantastic.

# ? Oct 29, 2010 22:22

AxeManiac: Nov 13, 2000; Always Drinking

If you are anywhere in Las Vegas, I suggest you check out the Pinball Museum. I had a blast, go on your way out of Vegas and you will feel like a winner.

http://www.pinballmuseum.org/

# ? Oct 29, 2010 22:24

aga.: Sep 1, 2008

WhiteHowler posted:

Stern's 2010 release is based on Avatar, and the initial buzz is that it's one of the best tables the company has ever designed.

That's got to be bullshit, with all the cost cutting Stern have done the new tables are nothing like the old ones they put out, they can barely afford to put anything on the table anymore. It's a shame now they finally have some good licenses (Iron Man, Avatar) they are wasting them on bare tables.

If anyone heard about the australian guy who bought all the old Williams rights and was supposed to be making more Medieval Madness' he has sold up to an American company. Sadly he is still supposed to be producing the MMs so good luck if you paid that deposit 5 years ago I guess!

# ? Oct 29, 2010 22:34

WhiteHowler: Apr 3, 2001; Yarr.

aga. posted:

That's got to be bullshit, with all the cost cutting Stern have done the new tables are nothing like the old ones they put out, they can barely afford to put anything on the table anymore. It's a shame now they finally have some good licenses (Iron Man, Avatar) they are wasting them on bare tables.

I don't know, I've heard that the Avatar table is really nice. My local arcade participated in the launch event a few weeks ago, and while I didn't get to go, reception sounded favorable.

I should get a chance to play it this Sunday, so I'll let you know how it plays.

# ? Oct 29, 2010 22:50

techknight: Feb 23, 2005; I'M PROGRAMMED TO LOVE THIS CHOCOLATY CAKE... MY CIRCUITS LIGHT UP FOR THAT FUDGY ICING.

Please add me to your friends list. I have many WIZARD POINTS.

GT: Knighted

Also I'd like to suggest Bally/Midway's World Cup Soccer (1994) for the list in the OP. It's an incredibly fun game with lots of "GOOOOOOOALL!" being shouted at you.

Edit:
And further, the OP should also mention TILT: The Battle to Save Pinball, a very interesting documentary about Williams' Pinball 2000 platform.

# ? Oct 29, 2010 23:46

Luigi Thirty: Apr 30, 2006; Emergency confection port.

The local arcade dealer guy's market dried up what with the recession so he opened a 20,000 square foot arcade in the local mall. He's also a restoration guy so it's full of fancy old electromechanical pinball tables, too.

I played Cirqus Voltaire and holy poo poo it is '90s as gently caress.

# ? Oct 29, 2010 23:54

iastudent: Apr 22, 2008; You walk through life not knowing who the idiots are! That gives them the element of surprise! And that's how they ruin your day!

Hell yeah, I'm always up for some wizard points boosting.

Also, I don't remember it was a particularly good table but I played a lot of Whirlwind as a kid. Really good on a hot summer day to trigger storm mode.

EDIT: The Pro Pinball series is also available on Good Ol' Games and they've been tweaked to run on modern systems just fine.

# ? Oct 30, 2010 00:01

CzarChasm: Mar 14, 2009; Why is it every time I need to get somewhere, we get waylaid by jackassery?

I'm down for some robe stealing. Added a lot of people from this thread, GT Khlamydia Koala

Only have the PFX1 tables for now. Just had a good run on nightmare mansion (35M)

# ? Oct 30, 2010 01:09

homeless snail: Mar 14, 2007

I just saw the wizard's robe on the news ticker, looks more like a wizard hoodie.

Also what are the upper and lower "arm sensitivity" options in the operator's menu? I'm guessing they adjust the dead zones on the triggers?

# ? Oct 30, 2010 01:36

Stealthed Zombie: Dec 21, 2007; I just met you,
And this is crazy.

I cut my wrists up,
So turn me maybe?

snackmar posted:

Please add me to your friends list. I have many WIZARD POINTS.

GT: Knighted

I will come back and triumph on Excalibur. Just not this evening. Cracked 20mil on ball 3 and then lost it. Wrist hurts. You will fall.

Billy Gnosis posted:

For some reason the new pinball fx2 tables reminded me of Extreme Pinball for the PC, but after re-looking it up, I don't think it actually has the "doesn't work in real life" things in it.

I guess i'll throw my GT in as well: Backlash Jack

Also are any of the premium FX1 tables worth it (not counting SF2 and Rocky and Bullwinkle) when compared to FX2 stuff?

I saw some of your scores sir, you are going to have to explain to me what you understand about this game and some of the tables (Or it could be luck, some of my scores aren't even from doing the missions but just GOTTA KEEP THE BALL IN PLAY MAN)

Stealthed Zombie fucked around with this message at Oct 30, 2010 around 02:23

# ? Oct 30, 2010 02:21

Sizone: Sep 13, 2007; Philosophy degrees add inches to your penis

I'll do the pfx2 score challenge
<-GT

My favorite table has always been Pin-Bot, dunno if it's because of quality or if it's just because that was always the one that seemed to be around when I was a kid. Terminator 2 is my second favorite, see above but replace kid with teenager.

# ? Oct 30, 2010 02:31

petewhitley: May 7, 2009; livin` astro ... biting donuts, sipping on espresso ...

Add me to list please, WhiteHowler.

Gamertag: petewhitley

Billy Gnosis posted:

Also are any of the premium FX1 tables worth it (not counting SF2 and Rocky and Bullwinkle) when compared to FX2 stuff?

Excalibur is very good. It's crazy exciting when you start to siege the castle and hurdle flaming balls towards it.

petewhitley fucked around with this message at Oct 30, 2010 around 03:22

# ? Oct 30, 2010 03:13

WhiteHowler: Apr 3, 2001; Yarr.

Updated the XBL gamertag list.

I got to play a little more on the new tables tonight. My impressions so far:

- Biolab: Really cool idea, although I haven't found many "sidequests" apart from upgrading the creature. The goal progression isn't too bad except for the Wisdom upgrade, which takes three Skill Shots with very little time for error. I still haven't nailed that one yet, mainly thanks to the Xbox analog stick's tiny range of motion.

- Secrets of the Deep: Wow. This is a busy, busy table. I have no idea what's going on. Sometimes it will tell me to do something and then say "You failed" before I can finish reading. Still, the elements are really cool, and it's probably the highest on the fun scale so far. Once I figure everything out, I bet this will be my favorite FX2 core table.

- Rome: lovely, lovely angles everywhere. I was ready to write off this table until I got to do a galleon attack. Catapults and flames?

It may grow on me over time, but I dislike the angles of the two aquaduct ramps and don't know if I'll be able to get used to them.

- Pasha: A good all-around table. Nothing really stands out for me. The guard battle is a neat mechanic, but it happens a bit too frequently. I've only played twice so far, so I'll probably discover more cool things with time.

I'm not sure how anyone's going to get 100,000 Wizard Score without stocking their friends list exclusively with people who play entirely too much pinball. I want that robe, but I just don't see it happening.

# ? Oct 30, 2010 04:17

Obeast: Aug 26, 2006; �_~ ANIME BABE LOVER 2000 ~_�

I picked up Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection on the Wii at my local Wal-Mart for $10 and I felt I got my money's worth and more out of it. The Wiimote + Nunchuck controls are perfect for it and does a decent job at making you think that you're playing a real pinball machine. If you can find it, I highly recommend getting it. I gave up on it because of one of the regular challenges on Whirlwind (I forgot which one it was, but I remember that you had to complete it on one ball since the entire board resets when you lose a ball

).

I do wanna try Pinball FX2 though, I never played the original one (my 360 did come with the demo for it, but I never tried it), but a pinball game with downloadable tables sounds awesome in my book. Do they release new tables every week like they do (or did, if GR dies soon due to Krome's closing

) in Game Room?

# ? Oct 30, 2010 04:28

homeless snail: Mar 14, 2007

^ They didn't put much out for FX1, maybe 4 or 5 tables. I really hope they Game Room it up this time around.

WhiteHowler posted:

Updated the XBL gamertag list.

I got to play a little more on the new tables tonight. My impressions so far:

- Biolab: Really cool idea, although I haven't found many "sidequests" apart from upgrading the creature. The goal progression isn't too bad except for the Wisdom upgrade, which takes three Skill Shots with very little time for error. I still haven't nailed that one yet, mainly thanks to the Xbox analog stick's tiny range of motion.

I don't know how its triggered, but there is a Brains upgrade side table where you have to navigate a rat maze. Its not randomized or anything though so its kind of asinine.

quote:

I'm not sure how anyone's going to get 100,000 Wizard Score without stocking their friends list exclusively with people who play entirely too much pinball. I want that robe, but I just don't see it happening.

DLC. Lots and lots of DLC.

homeless snail fucked around with this message at Oct 30, 2010 around 04:31

# ? Oct 30, 2010 04:28

Irish Taxi Driver: Sep 12, 2004; We're just gonna open our tool palette and... get some entities... how about some nice happy trees? We'll put them near this barn. Give that cow some shade... There.

My dads a huge pinball wizard. I grew up with a whole bunch of early 1970s Gottlieb machines in our living room.

The one I remember most is the Abra-Ca-Dabra machine since that one has always been there. Its been carved into hell and theres a giant "ELVIS COSTELLO" carved into the side of the backglass casing. He also has Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind, Sinbad, Bank-A-Ball, and Countdown, but they've all been in pieces in the basement for the last 20 years and I have no idea if they still work. I want those machines so bad regardless.

As far as he told me he got them all from some farmer in Pennsylvania in the late 70s. The guy kept them in his stable and they were all in really ratty but working condition, and sold them for 10-50 bucks each.

My uncle has a Williams machine apparently. I've never seen it and I don't think my aunt would be too keen on having that in their house.

Irish Taxi Driver fucked around with this message at Oct 30, 2010 around 04:33

# ? Oct 30, 2010 04:31

techknight: Feb 23, 2005; I'M PROGRAMMED TO LOVE THIS CHOCOLATY CAKE... MY CIRCUITS LIGHT UP FOR THAT FUDGY ICING.

Obeast posted:

Do they release new tables every week like they do (or did, if GR dies soon due to Krome's closing ) in Game Room?

The tables have to be built from scratch, so there's no way that they could do weekly releases unfortunately. However it's been all but confirmed that there will be a Marvel table in December. That'll probably be the first post-release DLC.

# ? Oct 30, 2010 04:38

WhiteHowler: Apr 3, 2001; Yarr.

Obeast posted:

I picked up Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection on the Wii at my local Wal-Mart for $10 and I felt I got my money's worth and more out of it. The Wiimote + Nunchuck controls are perfect for it and does a decent job at making you think that you're playing a real pinball machine. If you can find it, I highly recommend getting it. I gave up on it because of one of the regular challenges on Whirlwind (I forgot which one it was, but I remember that you had to complete it on one ball since the entire board resets when you lose a ball ).

The Whirlwind achievement is very difficult but possible, but there's one in Arabian Nights (spell HAREM) that can't actually be done the correct way. The left orbit adds a letter if the Tiger light isn't lit, but there's a bug in the video game version that make it so the Tiger light never goes out once lit. You can also "drop in" on the Harem from the top jet bumper area, but it's really just luck. I've played that table probably 150 times and have never gotten more than three letters.

quote:

I do wanna try Pinball FX2 though, I never played the original one (my 360 did come with the demo for it, but I never tried it), but a pinball game with downloadable tables sounds awesome in my book. Do they release new tables every week like they do (or did, if GR dies soon due to Krome's closing ) in Game Room?

Definitely not weekly, but supposedly a lot more frequently than we saw tables come out for the first game. The FX2 core pack contains four very good tables that should keep you going for a while. It's only

, and well worth your money.

homeless snail posted:

I don't know how its triggered, but there is a Brains upgrade side table where you have to navigate a rat maze. Its not randomized or anything though so its kind of asinine.

Yeah, I can complete the Brains, Muscle, and Reflex upgrades, but the Wisdom one always gets me. I know about where to hold the plunger to get the skill shot, but doing it reliably three times in a row with the 360's analog stick may be asking too much.

# ? Oct 30, 2010 04:38

fruitpunch: Jan 6, 2006; Think you disco duck, think!

The only pinball I remember playing as a child was a game called Pinball Dreams on the NES, no idea if this was an accurate measure of actual pinball, but I remember many sleepless nights at the ages of 7/8 playing it and trying to get better scores. Someone needs to explain the absolute basics of pinball and table design for people like me who have no idea about the game itself but enjoy high score type gaming

# ? Oct 30, 2010 05:27

Captain Keekles: Jan 28, 2007; Stomper Go Dumb

I'd like some more Pinball FX2 buddies.

Despite my introduction to the genre being pokemon pinball on the gameboy color as a child and probably only playing physical tables three or four times, I really like pinball videogames. I don't think I'm terrible, but I'm clueless about whats good at pinball.

I have to admit that Metorid Prime Pinball on the DS was one of my favorites previously. I thought that game was a cool adaption of Metroid Prime, the duel screens were used well for a cool layered experience, and the tables were varied and had lots to do. I just wish there had been more incentive for me to want to score more, but I didn't have any friends with the game. One example of how growing up in the post arcade era, I'm glad things like XBLA enables great score competition for certain games.

# ? Oct 30, 2010 11:23

WhiteHowler: Apr 3, 2001; Yarr.

fruitpunch posted:

The only pinball I remember playing as a child was a game called Pinball Dreams on the NES, no idea if this was an accurate measure of actual pinball, but I remember many sleepless nights at the ages of 7/8 playing it and trying to get better scores. Someone needs to explain the absolute basics of pinball and table design for people like me who have no idea about the game itself but enjoy high score type gaming

Pinball Dreams was okay, but quasi-realistic physics didn't start to appear in pinball video games until a bit later. Modern pinball titles contain full-featured tables and are pretty much identical to their physical counterparts. There's still no substitute for actually feeling the flippers or nudging the machine, but we're probably as close as we're going to get.

As for the absolute basics, it's as simple as this: Keep the ball in play. Unfortunately, it really is a "practice makes perfect" skill. I'm a decent (but not spectacular) player, but I've played enough that I can find my way around a table I've never seen before -- I can pick up the feel of the flippers and usually figure out some basic goals of the table.

For higher-level play, it's all about learning a specific table. Almost all modern tables have sets of goals to complete (for example, light "CATAPULT", then shoot the center ramp to activate Siege Mode Multiball, then hit the side ramps for Jackpots). There's also usually one main goal that you can progress to by completing the more basic goals. This all varies greatly by table, of course, and you'll have to spend a decent chunk of time with a given machine to be able to complete these goals. Just as a measuring stick, I played Big Race USA probably three or four hundred times, and finally got to the point where I could finish the race once or even twice every game.

As for table design, I'm probably not the best person to ask. If you're just looking for "good" tables to play, any of the modern collections should work. Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection has a ton of classic tables, including some of the best non-licensed titles ever made (Black Knight and Medieval Madness, especially). Pinball FX2 contains completely fictional tables, but they're mostly solid and sometimes innovate things that wouldn't be practical on a physical machine (for example, the mad scientist's creature in Biolab).

Fortunately for us, both of these games are really inexpensive. You can find the Williams collection for under $20, and Pinball FX2's four-table core pack is $10 on Xbox Live Arcade.

Captain Keekles posted:

I have to admit that Metorid Prime Pinball on the DS was one of my favorites previously. I thought that game was a cool adaption of Metroid Prime, the duel screens were used well for a cool layered experience, and the tables were varied and had lots to do. I just wish there had been more incentive for me to want to score more, but I didn't have any friends with the game. One example of how growing up in the post arcade era, I'm glad things like XBLA enables great score competition for certain games.

I am embarrassed at the number of hours I put into Metroid Prime Pinball. The only problem was that it was limited to two full tables, with several less-featured boss battle screens. After a while you just get tired of doing the jungle and spaceship boards over and over.

# ? Oct 30, 2010 11:29

Carecat: Apr 27, 2004

No mention of Future Pinball? I don't know if it's better than Virtual Pinball but I found it pretty good. The only downside is the creator seems to have serious ego issues and pulls poo poo like building in an expiry date and refusing to do features.

Carecat fucked around with this message at Oct 30, 2010 around 12:23

# ? Oct 30, 2010 12:19

FishBulb: Mar 29, 2003; Awesome power!

I haven't had a chance to play FX2 too much yet but I really wish they had the feature from Williams Collection that explained all the table goals and what different places on the table did. That was so helpful.

Anyways GT: Dr Fishbulb Esq.

# ? Oct 30, 2010 13:02

AcridWhistle: Aug 20, 2003; Feasting on the flesh of a recently killed zombie probably wasn't the smartest of moves

Orbitor 1 is a really neat table if it is semi dark where you are playing. You really have to look close to figure out the magic behind it. Also neat in that it has a minimum playtime that the arcade operators can't disable easily. The mechanical voice is also pretty cool along with the ending sound.

Q*bert the pinball game also is pretty fun and unique due to the weird playfield and flippers.

# ? Oct 30, 2010 14:15

Arthe Xavier: Apr 22, 2007; Artificial Stupidity

I bought PinballFX2, so add me to your friends-list for high-score competition. I'm not good at the game, mind you, but I'm ready to practice.

My GT is Artieficial.

# ? Oct 30, 2010 14:38

Midjack: Dec 24, 2007; But it soon became quite clear that while losers flourished everywhere, winners were a rare and reticent breed with preferences for camouflage and anonymity.

I remember the physical Pinbot table from Williams was loads of fun. The Jurassic Park table had a lot of character too.

# ? Oct 30, 2010 16:17

PaletteSwappedNinja: Jun 3, 2008; Big Games Poster

What's the pinball situation like on PSP? I know it's got the Williams and Gottlieb collections - is there anything else?

# ? Oct 30, 2010 16:25

Der Shovel: Dec 26, 2003; Keep on dancing, Moomin

PaletteSwappedNinja posted:

What's the pinball situation like on PSP? I know it's got the Williams and Gottlieb collections - is there anything else?

Yeah, there's Pinball Fantasies at least. It's tons of fun and still very playable even though the original Amiga / PC game is almost two decades old.

# ? Oct 30, 2010 16:41

Zero Karizma: Jul 8, 2004; It's ok now, just tell me what happened...

God drat the Rome table is way too busy. Especially on the bottom where it goes "red mess crazy."

# ? Oct 30, 2010 19:04

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# ? May 21, 2013 07:54

CzarChasm: Mar 14, 2009; Why is it every time I need to get somewhere, we get waylaid by jackassery?

For anyone looking for pinball tips I have a few for beginners. Please note that while most of my experience is virtual, these tips should apply to real pinball tables as well.

1) The Flippers control the lights
I'm sure there is a technical term for this, but the short version is this: There are sets of lights placed all over the board, usually in groups of three to four. When your ball rolls over the sensor for one of those lights, the light lights up. The key to note here is that if you need to activate all three lights to get the multiplier going you have to shift the lights around to correspond to where your ball will be going next. In the example below the X indicates the light is off and an O indicates the light is on. Hitting the right flipper will shift the light one position to the right, and the left flipper will move it left.

XOX -> XXO or XOX -> OXX

This is helpful for:

2) Learn to activate the "ball save"
This is probably the first thing I need to know how to do on any pinball table. The ball save is what will allow you to keep playing even after your ball has fallen out of play. Typically, this is done by activating the four lights in the lanes near the flippers at the bottom. Certain tables have other rules, for example the PFX Speed table activates the kickers the first time you light the lights and the ball save the second time. On that note:

3) Activate the ball saves when appropriate
On most tables, the ball save will be activated automatically at launch, and will turn itself off after a minute or two. If you manually activate the ball save when it is already active it will not extend the time. It will still end when the original timer runs down.

4) Slow Down
If you want to keep the ball in play, and get a higher score, slow things down a bit. Don't hit the flipper right away when the ball hits (or is about to hit) most of the time that will send it careening wildly and it will be harder to judge where it is going to go next. Even if you are working against a clock it is a good idea to focus your shots.

5) Learn the Tables
The rules will be generally the same for most tables, but it is a good idea to get used to the layouts and see what each table has as a goal to get the jackpots. Also of note, some tables are nicer than others. Most will wipe out a multiplier when you lose a ball, but some will allow you to continue whatever progress you made previously (hit ramp 10 times out of 20)

6) Pay Attention to the lights
When you activate a challenge on a table, chances are good that a specific ramp will light up with a blinking indicator. Most tables will give you a timer countdown to hit that ramp. If you hit it, see if it is still blinking. If so, hit it again, if not, look for another blinking light.

That's all I got for now. I still have to beat Stealthed Zombie on two or three more tables.

# ? Oct 30, 2010 19:21

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The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Games > The Pinball Megathread [Physical and Virtual] - PinballFX2 out on XBLA!