The Pinball Megathread [Physical and Virtual]

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > The Pinball Megathread [Physical and Virtual]

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

Howard Beale posted:

City living means no pinball for me until I get a house or a first floor apartment. I can handle the transport just fine, but there's no way to get a table up the three flights of narrow, curving stairs to where I live now. You could get the backglass up just fine, but there's just so little turning room on the stairs that I wouldn't want to risk smacking a table into the walls or the insanely low stairwell ceiling. Even the furniture people almost vowed never to come back again when they brought a new couch up.

I used to own a Road Show. I only lived on the second floor, but getting an almost 300 pound widebody game up a curving staircase was an interesting challenge, especially for a trio of wiry nerds. When I later sold the game I told the buyer to bring some armstrong friends.

Been tempted to find a High Speed II Getaway now, but I'm not sure how much it would disturb my neighbours.

# ¿ Jan 23, 2012 17:49

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# ¿ Apr 27, 2024 08:37

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

Disease posted:

I loved the hell out of those Lawlor tables, but wasn't the wizard mode in Addams Family ("Tour the Mansion") just activated by starting and completing all the modes? I seem to remember just hitting the chair with the yellow light, and then holding onto the ball until the mode ended, shoot the ramp that relights the chair and do that over and over until I got the wizard mode.

You can relight the chair and start the next mode before the current one ends, no need to wait.

# ¿ Jan 25, 2012 14:12

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

Domus posted:

Yeah, I hate the Stern "knocker" replacement. They could literally play any sound, and they chose a high pitched screech. I get that it doesn't take up any extra space on the ROM, but they couldn't engineer a tone or something?

Didn't earlier ones have a knock sound, even though it was emulated?

Also on the topic of poo poo blocking your view, who the hell decided to put the cannon on AC/DC right over the outlane area so it's impossible to see if you're nudging the ball away or into the outlane?

# ¿ Jan 6, 2014 16:10

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

Galaga Galaxian posted:

Wait, is that an F-15 on the backglass of Gold Wings? Which is a NotTopGun table and otherwise decorated with F-14 silhouettes?

AFAIK, Gold Wings was designed as Top Gun, but at the last moment Paramount pulled out of the deal and Gottlieb stood there with a finished Top Gun game they couldn't sell, so they just slapped some hastily designed new artwork on and renamed it Gold Wings.

# ¿ Apr 14, 2014 22:54

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

Beatnik-Filmstar posted:

I would love to see the code. I won the first 4-5 times I played, but then went through a 4-5 game losing streak as well. Wondering if it's 50-50 or what. Come to think of it - I wonder if there's an equivalent to the 0/00 space where neither red or black wins.

If you play Who Dunnit in Tournament Mode you always win every other bet, starting with the first bet always being a win. :ssh:

In non-tournament mode it's random though.

# ¿ Apr 16, 2014 23:57

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

Rollersnake posted:

Fathom (Bally, 1980)

Okay, this actually seems like it might be a pretty boring table, but look at that art! It's the prettiest table I've ever seen except for Centaur, maybe. Also, the working title for the table (rejected by Bally management) was "Deep Threat." Real classy, guys.

Fathom is a great game. Very nice shot layout for a game of that generation, and it's absolutely gorgeous. It's supposed to have blue flipper rubbers too, but they can be pretty hard to find.

# ¿ Apr 17, 2014 10:26

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

prefect posted:

Inlanes and outlanes are reversed?

Yep. It's not uncommon on EM/early SS games. Some of the more evil ones don't have a one way gate under the slingshot either.

# ¿ Apr 17, 2014 13:45

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

Super Jackpot is the hardest for me as well, not because it's really hard but I always get nervous when it's lit and then fail to hit the shot and lose all the balls. :saddowns:

5x Combo just tends to come by itself after a while, it's rarely something I have to focus deliberately on.

# ¿ Apr 20, 2014 17:04

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

That one's not too tricky. I always try to go for it when playing AFM just because it feels so satisfying to get that billion + TA. The hurryup countdown resets for each additional hurryup you start, so you have something like 10-15 seconds for each shot after the first, just make sure you only have one shot remaining on each first, and never shoot a loop or ramp for super skillshot (take the shield super skillshot if it's up, otherwise don't bother with super skillshot).

You don't even need to hit the saucer after the fourth shot, you automatically get the billion hurryup when TA starts.

# ¿ Apr 20, 2014 18:15

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

Google for a 3d print shop in your area, they can usually provide 3d scanning services as well.

# ¿ Apr 28, 2014 01:45

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

prefect posted:

Sometimes, in between balls, it will play the theme and trigger the flippers on the finger-snapping part.

Addams Family was the first game that used the Fliptronic flipper control board, which among other things allowed the CPU to trigger the flippers and enabled features like Thing Flips and that ^.

# ¿ Apr 29, 2014 22:03

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

Domus posted:

I'm curious how anyone knows it's a high earner. I mean, it is - it competes very well with the new Sterns in the arcade we have. I can't imagine our company ever letting anyone, Stern or otherwise, know our exact numbers. Hell, I don't even have access to them. I know rough estimates from helping collectors, and I'm sure they'd tell me if I asked, but still.

I asked the operators I know. The best earners in their lineup are TAF and AFM. Both machines also have good profit margins because TAF is surprisingly robust for the amount of toys it has, and AFM is a mechanically simple machine with few things that break easily.

# ¿ Apr 30, 2014 09:45

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

Domus posted:

I'd be scared to put an AFM in the field. I guess it works in locations where there are staff close to the machines, but you can't have someone watch them all the time. Plus, Cleveland is a lovely town, and we have some real dives as locations. Even places where they love pinball, customers beat the poo poo out of stuff. And then in nice places, there's little kids to wreck things. We had a TOTAN out, and it came back with sharpie marker all over one side. That poo poo comes off with the right chemicals, but it could just as easily been a paint marker, or a sharp stick, or whatever. It just doesn't seem to have a good earnings/risk ratio.

I've never seen a pinball machine purposefully vandalized here. Maybe people are just more well behaved.

I know one of the operators pulled his machines from the student union building, but that wasn't because the regular patrons were being unruly, it was because students are idiots and would let just about anyone into the building. It's accessible 24/7 but only students with a valid student ID are supposed to get in. Often drug addicts and other scum would get into the building by having students hold the door for them, then try to break into the pinball machines (and coin changer) to steal the coins.

# ¿ May 1, 2014 23:06

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

Those guys have been saying "soon" for like 5 years now so I'm not holding my breath.

# ¿ May 2, 2014 10:37

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

On the real machine you want to do Run from Spike once or maybe twice if you're good at it, after that you want to assemble the toaster gun.

I always start with the cuckoo clock to start the time machine mode and hope for the AFM videomode.

# ¿ May 16, 2014 13:44

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

Hercules used a pool ball for a ball iirc. But apart from that the standard pinball has been a 1 1/16" chromed steel ball for ages.

Some older games have a smaller (15/16") ball that is part of the tilt mechanism. It rests on a rail inside the cabinet, and if you lift the game it would roll forward, close a switch and cause the game to slam tilt.

Kinetic arcade games (pitch and bat games, bowling games, etc) that aren't true pinballs have used similar steel balls of varying sizes.

vvv Oh yeah, forgot about the mini-playfield on FG/Shrek

Collateral Damage fucked around with this message at 14:11 on May 16, 2014

# ¿ May 16, 2014 13:56

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

Beatnik-Filmstar posted:

Does the Junkyard version of the AFM video mode give you a smart bomb? Didn't seem to for me.

Yes it does, you push the Start button to use it.

There is also a secret time machine mode. When the clock shows 3:33 hit both flipper buttons at the same time to start Secret Mania, which is a nod to Road Show and its hidden Construction Mania mode.

Collateral Damage fucked around with this message at 15:03 on May 18, 2014

# ¿ May 18, 2014 14:59

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

802.11weed posted:

There's massively diminishing returns with drinking and pinball. one drink too many and you won't get any points. but when you're in that sweet spot . . .

For me the sweet spot is 2 beers, after that it goes downhill fast.

# ¿ May 26, 2014 11:44

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

Beatnik-Filmstar posted:

About the only downside is that I can't tell you how many times I'd come up to a table to find that someone had started a four player game, played a single ball and then walked away. Not the end of the world, but a bit annoying.

Pro tip: On most modern machines (unless disabled in settings) you can hold the start button in for 2-3 seconds and it will reset the game. Very handy when people walk away from unfinished games.

# ¿ May 26, 2014 20:47

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

Airborne is pretty fun, it has a nice flow. It's one of the better Capcom games.

# ¿ May 27, 2014 19:37

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

Yeah Pinball Magic is probably the best game Capcom made. Airborne has a nice playfield and really nice shots, but I agree the rules are pretty bad.

Big Bang Bar is great fun too, but it's super rare.

# ¿ May 27, 2014 23:45

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

Party zone is pretty fun, but the shot layout is weird. Like the right shot that feeds the top lanes (cosmic cottage) is at an odd angle that doesn't line up with the flippers. The rules are also terrible for competitive play, but that's pretty standard for early 90s machines.

# ¿ May 28, 2014 13:12

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

Domus posted:

I have a personal loathing for PZ, although it may be because I once roasted the transformer of one. I always felt that the game didn't quite know what to do with itself. The DMD animations are kind of weird and primitive, and the theme isn't very cohesive. If you own one and love it, though, I highly recommend sticking extra-large googly eyes on Capt. B. Zarr. Makes it like 10 times better.

I'm pretty sure the design team at Midway were all on hallucinogens when they made Party Animal, Dr Dude and Party Zone.

# ¿ May 29, 2014 10:12

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

apophenium posted:

The Twilight Zone table I played this past weekend had a problem where it would reset itself when I was having an exceptionally good game. The owner said it's a common problem with about a thousand different things that could be causing it.

Reset problems are 99% of the time due to the voltage to the CPU board dipping, which in turn is caused by a bad transistor or bridge rectifier on the power board. It's fairly easy to troubleshoot and fix as long as you know how to solder a circuit board.

# ¿ Jun 2, 2014 23:37

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

As a rule I hate any game with a central, drain-bait bash toy.

# ¿ Jun 13, 2014 18:16

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

I'm surprised they dare having a BBB on location considering the rarity and value of the machines.

I personally enjoy the game, it's a pity the rules never got finished.

# ¿ Jun 15, 2014 13:31

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

Squashy Nipples posted:

What happened? why is it so rare?

There's a pretty good rundown of the story here: http://www.flippers.be/pinball/capcom/bigbangbar/bigbangbar.html

# ¿ Jun 15, 2014 18:29

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

Billy Gnosis posted:

Any one else going to California Extreme in a few weeks?

Other than Big Bang Bar, do any other rare tables stand out to check out? I'm not good at knowing which tables I may never see again.

http://www.caextreme.org/games2014

Big Juicy Melons - Tackiness aside, it's a custom made game that only exists in 4 copies. 2 EMs and 2 solid states.
Kingpin - Along with BBB it's a Capcom prototype that was never put into production. 9 were made.
Varkon - A pinball disguised as an arcade game. It's got a tiny playfield squeezed into an arcade cabinet. 90 ish were made.

Cactus Canyon had a small run (~900 produced) but isn't super rare though it's special in being Williams' last "real" pinball machine. Apart from somewhat unfinished rules it's a good game and you should play it if you haven't.

A lot of EM/early SS games are fairly rare nowadays, not because of limited production runs but because so few have survived. So you should at least try most of them.

# ¿ Jun 28, 2014 21:44

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

Jewce posted:

My buddies Road Show machine is having an issue that he hasn't been able to solve. He has a few tables and generally knows what he is doing, knows forums to search/ask on, but hasn't figured out this issue. I'm gonna ask here in case anyone has any suggestions.

The right flipper delays coming down for split second after the button is released. It really throws off drop catches and just gets in the way of a good game now and again. You can flick the button and get good quick action, but when you hold the button it just sort of sticks for a second before coming down. Any thoughts?

Worn coil sleeve, worn flipper bushing, weak return spring, mushroomed coil plunger or a combination of the above.

Unscrew the coil stop and slide the coil off the plunger. Check the plunger and coil stop for mushrooming. Replace the coil sleeve. Remove the return spring and wiggle the flipper to check the bushing. It should move smoothly and without resistance. Replace the return spring with a new one. Both coil ~~stops~~ sleeves and return springs are less than a dollar each, or you can get a complete flipper rebuild kit for both flippers that includes new springs, sleeves, plungers, coil stops, EoS switches etc.

e: I meant sleeves are less than a dollar. The stops aren't expensive either but you don't need to replace that unless it's damaged. Sleeves and springs are practically consumables.

Collateral Damage fucked around with this message at 17:25 on Jun 30, 2014

# ¿ Jun 30, 2014 16:37

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

Jewce posted:

So, it turns out that all of those have been replaced recently. We're thinknig maybe it's an electrical issue of some sort of maybe dirty opto switches. The flipper sticking is worse when you hold the flipper up for a long time versus just tapping it.

It could be the opto interrupter sticking as well.

# ¿ Jul 1, 2014 01:10

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

Once you have the super lit, the easiest way is to just shoot all the balls into the bumpers and wait for the super jackpot to reach the right loop shot. You can easily drop catch the balls coming out of SOL and shoot them back into the right loop over and over.

Alternatively you can bounce pass the balls to the right flipper and shoot them up the left loop, same idea.

# ¿ Jul 8, 2014 18:44

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

Tony Phillips posted:

I assume you're saying "Popeye Saves the Earth" isn't good? Never played it - anyone else have an opinion on it?

It's pretty terrible. It basically comes down to two shots - Bluto's mouth and the left ramp. Launch the ball to get the light lock award, shoot Bluto. Repeat until multiball. During multiball, shoot the ramp. There's no reason to play for anything else because multiball is very easy to start and very valuable.

It's also ugly as sin.

# ¿ Jul 9, 2014 16:19

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

NuclearPotato posted:

Twilight Zone despite the game trying to load a second ball into the mix outside of multiball.

I don't know what it is with those games, but both TZ and STTNG seem to be constantly plagued with ball count issues.

# ¿ Jul 11, 2014 09:28

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

There are plenty of good pins based on terrible movies (and vice versa).

The Shadow and Congo belong to the former category.

# ¿ Jul 11, 2014 17:38

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

Zeether posted:

I didn't realize it for a while but the game's autoflip function isn't just for Thing Flips, it also times the flippers with the snaps from the theme song when you drain.

TAF was the first game where the CPU could control the flippers. The end-of-ball flips are basically just showing off "look what we can do :smug:

"

^ High Roller Casino is a pretty mediocre table, you're not alone. Basically all Stern games until Lord of the Rings had this realy low-budget feel.

Collateral Damage fucked around with this message at 01:22 on Jul 12, 2014

# ¿ Jul 12, 2014 01:19

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

Tony Phillips posted:

And I have no idea when he did this, but I noticed that the Twilight Zone table has a friendly little modification done to it.

It was a factory option. Testing revealed exactly what you guys have been complaining about, that a ball in the bumpers often ends up in the left outlane. So they added that rubber, but then balls would fly into the right outlane or out between the flippers instead. So they just left it to the operator to decide if they wanted to use it or not.

# ¿ Jul 13, 2014 08:46

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

The HRC innuendos are just tacky and doesn't really fit in the theme at all. Scared Stiff gets away with it because Elvira's whole modus operandi is built on innuendo, and most of them are so intentionally corny you're still forced to smile.

# ¿ Jul 17, 2014 15:52

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

Friend of mine gave me a good tip on AFM. If you have a martian bomb, start Martian Attack and shoot three of the four martians, then shoot the risky shots like the shield/ship. If you drain, just hit the launch button to kill the last martian and start multiball.

# ¿ Jul 17, 2014 18:35

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

Ryuga Death posted:

It seems like every time I get close to beating battle for the kingdom in medieval madness, the game knows this and proceeds to get the ball bouncing on the slingshots directly into the side drains. If I could, I would disable those pieces of poo poo from ever working again.

This is one of the things I really don't like about virtual pinball - all switches are "perfect" as in they'll trigger as soon as the ball collides with a trigger regardless of speed. In reality slingshots aren't that awful because depending on the adjustment and wear it takes a certain amount of force for the ball to trigger a slingshot.

My personal rule of thumb is that you should be able to gently roll the ball from the top of the slingshot along the front without it triggering, but anything more than that should trigger.

# ¿ Jul 21, 2014 19:43

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# ¿ Apr 27, 2024 08:37

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

I think your best bet for a replacement ramp is keeping an eye on ebay or various arcade classifieds to see if there's anyone parting a broken TMNT out. A cursory glance at the common parts shops doesn't find any game specific parts for TMNT.

You could take it to some place that can vacuum form a new ramp for you using the old one as a template, but that gets pricey for a one off.

# ¿ Jul 24, 2014 15:43

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