Is it possible to merge pinball and shmup equally?

[Pixel_Outlaw]

I like pinball and I like shmups. Since I'm a game programmer/designer I would like to merge these two types of games seamlessly. Is it possible to make a good shmup/pinball game in your opinion, what features would encorperate both elements equally?
I have no ideas for gameplay or controlls.... please help me.

[Randorama]

You may want to try Nitro Ball (Data East 1991) or Smash TV(Midway 1990) to get a good idea on how to mix both genres in one neat solution (more or less).

[Sly Cherry Chunks]

Something like how Wizball played?

[Soulo]

Try Gunbarich too.

[Specineff]

R-Type, the Pinball. Blast off and Strike the Evil Bydo Empire... with your Force Device. 3 Devices for 50 cents. Extra Device at 1,000,000 Pts. Lock Device into Bydo Cradle during Multi-ball for Jackpot.

[rolins]

I guess you could, would be interesting. A weird combo was Quarth, a Konami game that combined Tetis and vertical shooting.

[Benjamin]

Well, a lot of video game pinball games are shmup-ish already. Games such as Crueball and Sonic Spinball do feature enemies that are destroyed by a shot (weapon) fired from your flipper (ship). I suppose any kind of pinball/shooter game is going to have a Breakout/Space Invaders feel to it, since pinball requires a vertical game and will have to rely more on precision shooting given the limited ammo (balls).

[Frederik]

R-Type, the Pinball. Blast off and Strike the Evil Bydo Empire... with your Force Device. 3 Devices for 50 cents. Extra Device at 1,000,000 Pts. Lock Device into Bydo Cradle during Multi-ball for Jackpot.

That would be the hell of a cool pinball. Better than the shitty "Barb Wire starring Pamela Anderson" one I played on holidays.

[Icarus]

I like pinball and I like shmups. Since I'm a game programmer/designer I would like to merge these two types of games seamlessly. Is it possible to make a good shmup/pinball game in your opinion, what features would encorperate both elements equally?
I have no ideas for gameplay or controlls.... please help me.

Have you played Metroid Prime: Pinball yet? That's a good example of how to merge pinball with Metroid-like events, such as the Combat Mode where the ball unmorphs into Samus standing on the spot, firing at enemies rapidly, and the wall jumping off the backglass section. You can also fight familiar bosses, and use some of Samus' trademark weapons such as Power Bombs and Missiles.

For pinball in a shmup context, all you'd need to do is to pick something that can be easily identified and create events that draw from the chosen game. For example, a Gradius pintable would have Options as your pinballs (with obligatory fourball multiball), while an R-Type table would use the Force Device (maybe R-Type 3's Cyclone Force?) or Force Options as the ball. That would probably work better, as you would have a good reason to launch the Force Device into bosses. ^_-

Would be pretty cool. Ramps through the Speed Zone. Hit the Bydo Snake chute for increasing Jackpot. Hit six powerups in Gradius mode for Shield (read: ball saving mode). Activate Hyperspace Mode to fight the secret Xexex boss. And so on.

Boss sections could be done in an 'in the cockpit' view, with the ball being used as primary weapons. You could have a Big Core shuffling from side to side at the top of the table, and you'd have to flip the ball into the gates to Destroy The Core! ^_-

Anyway, I'm ranting on at the moment. Hope you get some good ideas. ^_-

[Pixel_Outlaw]

Those are excellent ideas!
the hard part will be the physics engine with basic highschool math. I don't like to use regestered trademards though so I'll probably use a more genearic approach, it will be it's own game not a trademark derivative. I can still use some of those greate ideas thuogh.

I have yet to find a deaf,dumb and blind kid, that can play the silver ball though...(sorry I love that song)

[system11]

I'm a bit of a pinball nut (at one time, I owned 20 full machines, down to three now though in the lounge). I owned a Data East Tommy, it plays that song

I'd say the only way to mix shmup and pinball is as suggested by someone above, using the ball as your shot against enemies. I don't think you can remove enough pinball elements to make it more shooter like, without also destroying what you were aiming for, so a more amusing solution might be a pinball game where you could consider alien formations moving around parts of the table as a set of moving targets. If the enemies are ones you have to destroy, you could maybe implement things like pop bumpers with a blast radius, removing the utter misery of hitting a tiny moving target.

For alternate inspiration, look up a pinball machine called Hyperball.

Anything is possible - currently in my Gamecube is Odama - pinball/RTS set in ancient Japan.

[Pixel_Outlaw]

I have Odama too. It seems bizzare in the way you command troops, mabye i'm just a poor general.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Williams produced this cool pinball machine called "Hyperball" that was shown in complete restored and working condition at the 2004 California Extreme show. It featured a pair of joystick grips that one twists either clockwise or counter-clockwise to aim a multitude of small pinballs at moving lighted targets through out the pin table itself. It reminded me of the rapid-fire ball shooting action found in modern-day Japanese pachinko machines except in an American traditional pinball style machine setup. Very unusual gameplay mechanics featured in this Hyperball pin machine that is very addicting to play. You won't want to stop playing this cool pinball game... It is also very rare as Williams didn't make very many Hyperball pin tables to begin with. (That might be why I've never got the chance to play it in the 1990's...) ^_~

Hyperball is an awesome pinball machine to play. I've played many pinball machines back in the day in the early to mid 1990's but had never came across such a pinball game such as Hyperball until the 2004 CAX show. ^_~

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~