The Pinball Thread

Anything from run & guns to modern RPGs, what else do you play?
boagman
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Re: The Pinball Thread

Post by boagman »

professor ganson wrote:
Udderdude wrote:So Stern's latest table is .. The Munsters. Based on the 60's TV show. Not sure who this is supposed to appeal to, but the table itself looks pretty good. Some versions have the lower playfield, some don't. Gameplay footage from Deadflip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4x1ASC1o-E
Yeah, that's a head-scratcher as a theme but it looks like good times. That's interesting that some versions lack the lower playfield. I didn't realize that versions of the same table could differ that much.
You've never seen AC/DC?
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professor ganson
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Re: The Pinball Thread

Post by professor ganson »

I've played AC/DC a few times, but I've only ever seen one version of it. Nice game even though the theme doesn't do much for me.
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Sumez
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Re: The Pinball Thread

Post by Sumez »

So no one's gonna comment on the fact that Stern designed a new sequel to the Black Knight pinball tables?

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/408680148
(I love how chill and low-key this demonstration feels, despite the professional setup. Gary Stern joins on the side, and you get to see Steve Ritchie play his own game)

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Is this like the first Stern table ever to not be based on an external license? (but rather an existing Pinball license)
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Re: The Pinball Thread

Post by Cannonballs »

Yeah I think this is the first Stern not using a license in almost 20 years. Excited to play it, but only the premium and LE since it’s BK and damn, BK should have an upper playfield! We’ll see on Friday but all signs point to the new Jersey Jack game Willy Wonka being out of this world.
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Re: The Pinball Thread

Post by Sumez »

Yeah this seems completely designed for the home/collector/enthusiast market, which is a testament to how big that has become.
The target group, as I'm assuming, is existing pinball fans. As opposed to the typical approach of slapping a popular license on something (like Game of Thrones) and expecting bars and amusement parks to pick them up for the general population.
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Re: The Pinball Thread

Post by boagman »

Just bought myself a Tron: Legacy Pro version tonight. It's dirty as all-get-out, and there are a couple minor things wrong with it, but after I get done shopping it, it's gonna be saw-eet. Should be phun...I'm excited, as this is a great machine IMHO.
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Re: The Pinball Thread

Post by PC Engine Fan X! »

I recall trying out the (brand new at that point in time) Tron Legacy pinball game at the 2011 California Extreme show -- cool game with the slick miniature Tron upright cab in place.

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Re: The Pinball Thread

Post by Udderdude »

Man, there's been so much going on in the world of pinball that it's kind of crazy. There was a new Elvira table recently .. :shock:
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Re: The Pinball Thread

Post by boagman »

Udderdude wrote:Man, there's been so much going on in the world of pinball that it's kind of crazy. There was a new Elvira table recently .. :shock:
Indeed. I haven't had the chance to play that one yet, but I'm looking forward to it.

Was patently unimpressed with "Jurassic Park", but I only played one machine, and it's entirely possible that it was just that one machine. I need to play another one or two before I pass judgment on it.
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Re: The Pinball Thread

Post by Udderdude »

Jurassic Park Stern seemed alright to me.

It's too bad this thread is so dead, I think we've spent an entire year on page 10. :lol:
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sven666
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Re: The Pinball Thread

Post by sven666 »

I think alot of people in the hobby are starting to feel fatigue, there are just too damn many tables coming out.. not even operators can afford them all..

Of what came out over the last two years only jjp pirates really blew me away, such an amazing game to play (i dont feel the theme tho), alot of fun games outside of that aswell but nothing that really stuck out that much to me where i felt the urge to play more.

Im still happy playing tron and tz at home..
the destruction of everything, is the beginning of something new. your whole world is on fire, and soon, you'll be too..
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Re: The Pinball Thread

Post by Udderdude »

Yeah, I keep hearing that the market is on the verge of oversaturation. Honestly I feel like there's really only room for Stern, JJP and one or two other companies. Well, Stern prob. won't slow down until their tables don't meet sales expectations. I'm relying on JJP (or DeepRoot, lol) to bring something interesting to the table, Stern's content with doing the same old thing.

In digital pinball news, it looks like Demon's Tilt left early access status and has launched. Hooray! https://store.steampowered.com/app/422510/DEMONS_TILT/
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Re: The Pinball Thread

Post by Cannonballs »

https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/12/23 ... ay-details

New Stern Stranger Things revealed today.
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ChurchOfSolipsism
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Re: The Pinball Thread

Post by ChurchOfSolipsism »

No one's posted in this thread in almost four years?! Ridiculous I say!

So I finally took the plunge and got my first pinball machine, it's a Creature from the Black Lagoon, fully playable but a little banged up. I'm in the process of taking it apart, putting new decals on it, cleaning the playfield, replacing ramps etc. It's amazing how much work this is, in that time I could build two arcade machines...
n0rtygames wrote:[The wife] once asked me "whats a shoryuken?" so I gave her a real life demonstration. Except she was too close on the spin. So I actually SRK'd her. With full vocalisation too...
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Austin
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Re: The Pinball Thread

Post by Austin »

Congrats! Creature is a classic. And yeah, pinball is a lot of work.

I haven't been able to own any machines for the last several years (not a lot of disposable income on hand, combined with rising prices), but finally scored my first semi-modern machine a few weeks back (Avatar, Stern). I don't think it had ever been cleaned and so I did a full teardown of the topside, and even with it being a simplistic playfield, it still took several days to do it, clean everything, replace all the rubbers and get it all back together again. Creature is going to be a much larger project from that standpoint.

Enjoy the process though, as it's one of those things where you do it once and then you probably won't get the opportunity to do it again on the same machine for a long time.
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Re: The Pinball Thread

Post by Udderdude »

Udderdude wrote: Fri Dec 13, 2019 1:33 pm(or DeepRoot, lol)
Well, that didn't age well.
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Sengoku Strider
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Re: The Pinball Thread

Post by Sengoku Strider »

I did not know there was a pinball thread! I love me some video pinball. If you haven't checked out Zaccaria Pinball yet, totally do so. It's a collection of real vintage tables from an old Italian manufacturer. The starter tables are F2P and the vibes are off the charts:

Image
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To Far Away Times
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Re: The Pinball Thread

Post by To Far Away Times »

My favorite pin is either Addam's Family or Total Nuclear Annihilation.
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ChurchOfSolipsism
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Re: The Pinball Thread

Post by ChurchOfSolipsism »

Austin wrote: Thu Sep 28, 2023 4:38 pm Congrats! Creature is a classic. And yeah, pinball is a lot of work.

I haven't been able to own any machines for the last several years (not a lot of disposable income on hand, combined with rising prices), but finally scored my first semi-modern machine a few weeks back (Avatar, Stern). I don't think it had ever been cleaned and so I did a full teardown of the topside, and even with it being a simplistic playfield, it still took several days to do it, clean everything, replace all the rubbers and get it all back together again. Creature is going to be a much larger project from that standpoint.

Enjoy the process though, as it's one of those things where you do it once and then you probably won't get the opportunity to do it again on the same machine for a long time.
Cheers! I'd played it many times before, so I knew I would really like it. Talking about rising prices, yeah, at fucking 3500 Eurobucks it was still a good deal. Btw how much did you pay for your Avatar?
As for the rest, tinkering around with that stuff is cool, but due to work etc. I'd rather work on my thousand other projects (among else, a mini VPin) and just play the damn thing. On the other hand, I've always wanted to restore a pinball machine, so I got my wish...
n0rtygames wrote:[The wife] once asked me "whats a shoryuken?" so I gave her a real life demonstration. Except she was too close on the spin. So I actually SRK'd her. With full vocalisation too...
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Re: The Pinball Thread

Post by PC Engine Fan X! »

There's the Early Access Steam port of XenoTilt! from the same folks whom did Demon Tilt! XT does pay homage to the classic PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16 pinball game of Alien Crush (circa 1989) and plays like a charm on the Steam Deck.

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Austin
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Re: The Pinball Thread

Post by Austin »

I don't play much digital pinball these days, but am definitely looking forward to XenoTilt. Demon's Tilt was excellent! Fun rules, great visuals and music, and solid physics.

Zen Studios apparently has a new one out (or coming out), which I believe is called "Pinball M", or something like that. Horror-themed. Might be fun for people into their original offerings. *Edit: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2337640/Pinball_M/
ChurchOfSolipsism wrote: Fri Sep 29, 2023 10:36 amCheers! I'd played it many times before, so I knew I would really like it. Talking about rising prices, yeah, at fucking 3500 Eurobucks it was still a good deal. Btw how much did you pay for your Avatar?
As for the rest, tinkering around with that stuff is cool, but due to work etc. I'd rather work on my thousand other projects (among else, a mini VPin) and just play the damn thing. On the other hand, I've always wanted to restore a pinball machine, so I got my wish...
I hear that. I am more of a player and less of a tinkerer. I like doing the basic stuff, like cleaning/waxing a game, replacing rubbers and basically getting it up to a level where it plays well (especially if it was routed and beat up a bit). I enjoy listening to music and drinking beer in the process, ha--It's cathartic. However, when more complex objects on a game start breaking, it can be a real buzzkill, especially when there's not a clear and easy fix. I can fix a lot of things, but I'd rather spend my time playing.

The Avatar I picked up was $4K.
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Jeneki
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Re: The Pinball Thread

Post by Jeneki »

I've been using Stern's insider connected website (free version) for a while now, to get a little score rivalry going with a buddy.

A local place picked up the new Venom table. When you log in with this game it remembers your progress, what characters you unlock, etc, even if you move from one table to another in a different location. Interesting idea, but feels weird not starting completely from scratch in a pinball game.
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ChurchOfSolipsism
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Re: The Pinball Thread

Post by ChurchOfSolipsism »

Jeneki wrote: Sat Oct 14, 2023 12:46 am I've been using Stern's insider connected website (free version) for a while now, to get a little score rivalry going with a buddy.

A local place picked up the new Venom table. When you log in with this game it remembers your progress, what characters you unlock, etc, even if you move from one table to another in a different location. Interesting idea, but feels weird not starting completely from scratch in a pinball game.
I haven't looked into this insider Connect thing, but now that you mention it, yeah, fighting for a spot in a highscore list is great in arcade games as well. Not sure I'm a fan of "saving" your game and unlocking shit etc. Anyway, how is Venom? I've heard mixed things about it?

Austin wrote: Fri Oct 13, 2023 1:03 pm I hear that. I am more of a player and less of a tinkerer. I like doing the basic stuff, like cleaning/waxing a game, replacing rubbers and basically getting it up to a level where it plays well (especially if it was routed and beat up a bit). I enjoy listening to music and drinking beer in the process, ha--It's cathartic. However, when more complex objects on a game start breaking, it can be a real buzzkill, especially when there's not a clear and easy fix. I can fix a lot of things, but I'd rather spend my time playing.

The Avatar I picked up was $4K.
I've spent my afternoon sanding off the vinyl decals from the main body (still not finished, though), and now my fingertips are numb. Looking forward to working on the playfield, I've set up a little workshop in the boiler room of our house where it's always warm and cozy, even in winter. I usually drink whisky when tinkering around, but no music for me, my autistic side finds it too distracting... 4K for an Avatar sounds like an amazing deal!
n0rtygames wrote:[The wife] once asked me "whats a shoryuken?" so I gave her a real life demonstration. Except she was too close on the spin. So I actually SRK'd her. With full vocalisation too...
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Re: The Pinball Thread

Post by Jeneki »

ChurchOfSolipsism wrote: Sat Oct 14, 2023 4:49 pm Anyway, how is Venom? I've heard mixed things about it?
Most of the game modes are about hitting the same color arrows multiple times in a row. Follow the same color a few times to complete that combo, then repeat for all three colors, and you'll unlock stuff fast. Ball locks come pretty easy, but at 3 locks you can choose to start the mulitball or continue up to 6 locks before starting it (scores seem way better with more balls even if you can't control them well). Boss fights are clearly marked; aim for lit stuff as usual. Overall, it's about what I'd expect from a comic book Stern table.

One other interesting choice: a 'speedrun' timer that keeps track of how much time it takes you to beat the final boss. If you're using the online save feature, the timer keeps going up over multiple games. Someone needs to run this a AGDQ haha.
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ChurchOfSolipsism
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Re: The Pinball Thread

Post by ChurchOfSolipsism »

Jeneki wrote: Sun Oct 15, 2023 5:28 am
ChurchOfSolipsism wrote: Sat Oct 14, 2023 4:49 pm Anyway, how is Venom? I've heard mixed things about it?
Most of the game modes are about hitting the same color arrows multiple times in a row. Follow the same color a few times to complete that combo, then repeat for all three colors, and you'll unlock stuff fast. Ball locks come pretty easy, but at 3 locks you can choose to start the mulitball or continue up to 6 locks before starting it (scores seem way better with more balls even if you can't control them well). Boss fights are clearly marked; aim for lit stuff as usual. Overall, it's about what I'd expect from a comic book Stern table.

One other interesting choice: a 'speedrun' timer that keeps track of how much time it takes you to beat the final boss. If you're using the online save feature, the timer keeps going up over multiple games. Someone needs to run this a AGDQ haha.
Cool, thanks for the impressions. What's AGDQ, tough?
n0rtygames wrote:[The wife] once asked me "whats a shoryuken?" so I gave her a real life demonstration. Except she was too close on the spin. So I actually SRK'd her. With full vocalisation too...
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Re: The Pinball Thread

Post by Austin »

ChurchOfSolipsism wrote: Sun Oct 15, 2023 12:06 pm
Cool, thanks for the impressions. What's AGDQ, tough?
Awesome Games Done Quick. It’s a speedrunning convention that happens every Winter.

We actually had a pinball side event at AGDQ from 2015 - 2018 or so where we had real machines set up and would try to “speedrun” specific goals. It was dubbed Pinball Done Quick and there should be a bunch of stream archives on YouTube.
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Re: The Pinball Thread

Post by ChurchOfSolipsism »

Austin wrote: Mon Oct 16, 2023 8:08 pm
ChurchOfSolipsism wrote: Sun Oct 15, 2023 12:06 pm
Cool, thanks for the impressions. What's AGDQ, tough?
Awesome Games Done Quick. It’s a speedrunning convention that happens every Winter.

We actually had a pinball side event at AGDQ from 2015 - 2018 or so where we had real machines set up and would try to “speedrun” specific goals. It was dubbed Pinball Done Quick and there should be a bunch of stream archives on YouTube.
Sounds like a lot of fun!

As for my restauration, I put on artwork decals on the sides of the backbox - shouldn't have bought discount decals, though (they weren'T crazy cheap, though!), as quite a few of the folds in the vinyl are still visible. Fuck, now I'm afraid of putting the big decals on the side of the main body...
n0rtygames wrote:[The wife] once asked me "whats a shoryuken?" so I gave her a real life demonstration. Except she was too close on the spin. So I actually SRK'd her. With full vocalisation too...
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Jeneki
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Re: The Pinball Thread

Post by Jeneki »

Local places with pinball have been popping up fast over the last year. Suddenly there's four places with 20+ tables within a half hour of me. Seems like they're buying loads of new tables, not just consolidating whatever old stuff is around town. This means a lot of the same stuff at each location, but also means just about anything new can be found somewhere. And usually multiple people playing, sometimes packed on the weekends.

Crazy world where pinball is popular again. I have to wonder where the saturation point is though, as it seems to be expanding a bit too quickly in my area.
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Austin
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Re: The Pinball Thread

Post by Austin »

What area is that out of curiosity?

We’ve had a similar situation in the DC area. Went from basically only having a single place in Northern VA without having to drive an hour, to now having five, six, maybe seven locations. It’s nuts. Definitely a lot of repeat games unfortunately, but it is what it is.
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Jeneki
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Re: The Pinball Thread

Post by Jeneki »

Minneapolis / Saint Paul (USA) area.
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