Did not know this.
Agree with this as well. For major events like this, you should be motivated to study and learn to win; you know the best of the best are going to be there. It’s still a major road block for getting new folks involved.
It is a bit weird to me that our whole competitive community plays pretty nice in the tip sharing world. This is the one format where I’ve definitely seen less of that “I have no problem sharing everything I know” vibe.
Perhaps that’s just the nature of the beast with this format, but I found it … interesting.
In this event compared to the traditional pump and dump, the minutia kind of information is far more valuable than in say, a PAPA Style format. In HUC, it’s the difference between advancing or not. In PAPA Style, you have more time to observe what your opponents are doing and learn from them.
I think this is the biggest ? to be asking right now… Should goals be VERY straightforwarded such as the areosmith one, or VERY open-ended such as “beat any two modes”. One allows for rules minutia to gain an advantage, the other makes it a pure execution race.
A mix of both, of course. (Yes, I want my cake and eat it too! 
) Very straightforward = a pure speed race; open-ended = more strategic. Both are interesting for different reasons.
1 Like
https://www.ifpapinball.com/tournaments/view.php?t=20880
We’re gonna prove just how not important WPPR’s are with this format going forward
Hey, it’s currently Raymond’s 76th highest point result [including decay; pre-decay, it’s even lower than that].
Is that because each game is considered 1 ball, or .333 of a game for TGP?
Yep
But it’s a great start to David Raymondson’s IFPA ranking card.
3 Likes
Having a NIB Stern as first prize must offset WPPR quite significantly?
1 Like
The goals could increase in difficulty throughout the match.
Or perhaps even better, they could increase in difficulty throughout the tournament. This would be great for people who don’t know much about pinball that tuned in early to the event…and thus they would get deeper and deeper into the rules as it went. This might be bad for noobs who tune in late in the event.
1 Like
Is it a ‘secret’ or just ‘not widely known’. I mean, in most sports coaches and competitors spend lots of time scheming new ways to improve their game within the rules of the game. They don’t call it ‘secrets’ when a coach comes up with new formations or movements to gain an advantage over their competitors.
The beauty of pingolf/gauntlet/etc is the new and different ways of achieving the goal… the creativity, exploration, and not just the execution… is part of the fun.
What you call a ‘secret’ - I call a ‘strategy not yet widely seen’
I think that for now, goals should be easy to understand, easy to figure out how to achieve [at least one way], and easy to visualize on the playfield and on viewers’ screens.
Excellent examples would be to use AFM and MB:
For AFM, goals would be:
- start Total Annihilation
- collect Lock Multiball Superjackpot
- Most Martians killed in 3 minutes [3 would work better than 2 here I think]
- Collect two cities
- 2- or 3-minute drill [longer in later rounds]
For MB, the 4 non-score goals would be to collect instruments. Maybe use Werewolf, Dracula, Frankie and Creature for basic level and save Bride and Mummy for later rounds? [Bride is probably the most challenging to finish; Mummy takes the longest to start].
For both of these machines, everything is clear and easy to see as you progress. They’re both player- and viewer-friendly.
I would avoid using games like JY or JM where it’s harder for people who haven’t played them much to figure out what the heck is going on. Frankly, the latest couple of Sterns aren’t the best choices, either - - they’re too complicated in some ways, getting away from “normal” pinball and into a kind of pinball - logic switch - video hybrid with all of the shot multipliers and such. Harder for non-experts to follow, take much longer to learn [you didn’t have to study Paragon, Space Shuttle, AFM or TAF that long to figure out what to do].
Mode-based games like TAF, TFTC, Tommy, etc. are somewhat problematic. “Start N modes” is one way to go, but that’s just one goal. Completing a specific mode is a problem since you can’t control which one starts. H2H will surely work for some of them, but the goal setting will be trickier.
In some ways, the old “Pin-Tac-Toe” goals we used in FSPA would work in many situations.
Regardless of one’s opinion of my game comments, it would be good to compile a list of machines which lend themselves to good sets of goals and give a rationale for why they’re good choices. For instance, The AFM and MB examples above, besides being pretty clear, all require about 10-15 specific shots to be made; the better goals used last weekend, e.g. start Elevator MB, get a specific 2X, start Toybox Level N, etc., all seemed to be in this same range, too.
As far as “straightforward” vs. “open-ended,” as long as the viewers can follow what’s happening and the mid-level players can figure out at least one way to get there, either is probably okay.
I’ll be giving thought to specific machines that lend themselves to “good goal playing and viewing” and post more some time next week.
3 Likes
Actually I meant things like using the button to “cheat” on Jack Bot or re-light the jackpot on WCS - that kinda thing more - I like being smart about strategy and would encourage that 
1 Like
Just a “heads up” (pun intended), mark your calendars for the 2018 IFPA Heads-Up Pinball Championship!
It’s returning on Sunday, March 25th at Bottom Lounge in Chicago (1375 W Lake St, Chicago, IL 60607).
We’ll have a more formal announcement on the IFPA website once I get the pre-registration page updated.
Stern will be sponsoring this once again with a NIB Pro as top prize. Details to come!
4 Likes
Did I miss the announcement of what is happening Saturday the March 24th in Chicago?
1 Like
Your turn for the $300 2nd place prize 
2 Likes
Anyone that’s interested in the Delaware high stakes tourney . . . COME ON DOWN!
$5000 top prize . . .jack s*it for any of the other finishing positions
Eric & I will save you and Josh the trouble - - he can win this one, too, to go with his FWTG, and I’ll take second to him again.