Super Mariolle Bros!
2 Likes
I think the Mythbusters idea is one of the first things Iāve heard of that I would probably get for the theme alone. It would have to suck pretty bad for me to not want it!
Experts of Dangerous!
1 Like
Please donāt remind me of that pice of trash who stole a lot ooney from me!
Was hoping predator would be a great addition for The Sanctumā¦
I never heard of that one! I guess that was a little bit before the Predator business.
Somebody could make a pretty good little website that was a Rogueās Gallery of pinball machines that never materialized and their stories.
I believe that place is called Pinside!
Thatās right! You know, I donāt go over there that much. For a forum with that volume, this site beats it for talk about actually playing.
2 Likes
The level of accumulated knowledge on buying, maintaining, and repairing machines on Pinside is really cool, I just wish it wasnāt such a sweaty man cave.
3 Likes
Oh yes, I definitely remember Experts of Dangerous. I was never really sure what the legal status on that was, but I guess with Skit-B disbanded, itās not going to happen anymore.
Something I forgot to mention is that PokƩmon is going through a big 20th anniversary event right now. A ton of new merchandise has popped up (mostly in Japan), there was that Super Bowl commercial, there is cross-promotion with fellow Nintendo IP Splatoon (the PokƩmon-themed Splatfest is happening as I am posting this), and they created a special 20th anniversary logo. Digital PokƩmon pinball games already exist; it would be pretty neat to see Stern give it a shot.
Going through Episode 19, I can definitely relate to the story about not feeling welcome in a tournament. I actually found it a change of pace to see pinball competitors being friendly and open to newcomers, as I am used to going to competitions where the top players are part of a clique. They help each other win competitions, and if an outsider like me shows up, will help each other keep them out. Itās a different scenario than being on a machine and being asked to leave without compensation, but the feeling is the same. But forgive me if Iām very quiet and keep to myself; itās hard to shake off the social strategy of keeping a low profile so as not to attract the cliquesā attention.
One question here: Throughout this podcast, I occasionally hear not-so-stellar opinions of monitors on pinball, such as on The Wizard of Oz and Full Throttle. Can you elaborate on them? How do monitors compare to DMDs? I got into pinball in 2013, right around when The Wizard of Oz had come out, so I have no nostalgia for DMDs, and I am pretty confused at Dutchās decision to have a monitor with a DMD-like grid pattern for The Big Lebowski.
That being said, I personally think that there is a lot of work to do regarding efficient use of screen space and HUDs on a monitor as opposed to a DMD, as someone who plays a lot of modern video games, most of which tell you more information than is displayed even in The Hobbit without being intrusive. The people designing screen layouts seem to be doing it based on what they know about DMDs, and they are largely being used as bigger DMDs with higher resolution and in full color. (I am still jealous of how easy-to-find and accessible pinball is in Seattle though.)
Iāve only played WOZ ten or fifteen times total, but I find the use of the monitor kind of counterintuitive. Maybe Iām just used to the compact simplicity of the DMD, but the monitor is just so big - itās hard enough during a busy game to keep track of a DMD, let alone a full-sized monitor. The WOZ animations and visuals also look kind of cheap and photoshoppy, but that might be just me. Iām curious to see how Hobbit handles it, because itās an interesting problem. By creating such a large display, theyāre essentially having to create and design a secondary video game of its own, which is a major task by itself. Iām sure once they figure it out itāll be stunning (and super attractive to people who wouldnāt usually play) but I can see why they went with the DMD for Big Lebowski (fewer copyright issues, too, probably).
When Lebowski was at Pinball Expo, it had an LCD, not a DMD. The LCD isnāt as large as WOZās, is that what you meant?
I havenāt been keeping up with it, but doesnāt it have a DMD effect? Kind of like the color DMDs. I remember it was much simpler than WOZās.
Lebowski definitely has an LCD monitor in there, not a DMD, but it displays a matrix of solid-color dots, akin to a ColorDMD. (Well, thatās what it looks like to me, but Iāve never seen one close enough to actually see if the dots are solid-color or if itās a full-resolution image with a black DMD-esque mask over it.) Iām wondering why they went with the DMD effect and not make use of the full resolution of what the player can see. Is it for a retro effect?
Iāve also heard Episode 20. I so want something like a Super League around here, now that Iāve heard some in-depth description from someone who runs one. I keep an irregular schedule at work, and I donāt know when Iāll be available until pretty close to that day. Something like Super League would be so nice for someone like me.
I personally didnāt find much wrong with the visuals on the monitor for The Wizard of Oz except for the obvious CG clashing with the live-action cutscenes, but thatās probably due to budget and time. Given infinite money and all the time needed, one could hire some modelers and animators from a Hollywood animation company like Blue Sky, or even from a video game with a talent in convincing-looking computer graphics like Squaresoft, but itās currently not feasible. (Youād be more likely to get fully-orchestrated background music before getting convincing CG.)
I had heard about the monitor right above the flippers in Full Throttle around the time I got into pinball, and, as a beginner, the first thought that came to mind was that this should be on every pinball machine from here on out. Thatās the area I would most commonly be looking at, and if the information is conveyed clearly, concisely, and compactly, is what I believe would be the single biggest boon in getting a non-player into a machine: It shows them, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that there are rules and scenarios going on, and itās not just about not letting the ball drain. I then heard from some pinball veterans that the monitor being there threw them off, as theyāre used to looking up.
I would be interested in seeing if this is something of an upside-down-glasses situation, where people accustomed to doing one thing becomes disoriented and thrown off when it changes, but for people used to it, it becomes the new norm and switching back disorients them and throws them off. (Iām referring to a psychology experiment where people wore glasses that caused everything they see to be upside-down. The subjects were, understandably, having trouble doing even basic tasks, but after a few days, seeing things upside-down became second nature. When it came time to take them off, seeing the world right-side up again made them clumsy and stumble around again for a few hours.)
I think Iāll start a new topic regarding use of monitors, as I donāt want to derail this any further.
Tales from a top level player whoās initials are seen more than the man himself. Lonnie Langford talks about his long history with pinball, how he plays for 3-4 hours straigh (and I mean ONE GAME), why he doesnāt play tournaments anymore, and how weāre going to get him out of hiding. Sasquatch is a local legend in this part of the world, and Lonnie is just that for pinball.
1 Like
Canāt wait to listen to this. Lonnie puts up scores that shouldnāt be possible. He put 16 or 17 billion on Game of Thrones within a day or two of it arriving on location.
3 Likes
I just listened to it for the first time since we recorded it 3 weeks ago and I think itās one of our better ones. I hope you enjoy it!
2 Likes
I enjoyed hearing Lonnieās perspective on Lord of the Rings and his story about the power going out at Shortyās right before he almost reached the 255 mansion room shots threshold on Addams Family was an absolute KILLER! Oh the humanity!!! 
2 Likes
Totally. Those are the kinds of stories I try to pull out of people on the pincast. The TAF on though, damn. I canāt even imagine!
As always, thanks for listening!
1 Like
Weāve had two more episodes since last posting.
One about virtual pinball, and one with returning guest Dave Stewart.
In this latest episode, we learn about Daveās long running history with pinball, how he got so deep into running tournaments, when he finds time to sleep, and he drops an announcement bomb on the show about some super sweet prizes for the tournaments in the upcoming NWPAS show this summer!
3 Likes
Oh yeah, in one of the recent podcasts, there was a request for themes forā¦that game you guys play where you take turns naming machines of a particular theme (whose name escapes me at the moment). I got a few suggestions, though the difficulties I assign to them might differ from person to person:
Easy
ā¢ Machines with a button or a trigger for a plunger
ā¢ Machines with a wild west theme
ā¢ Machines with talking animal characters
ā¢ Machines with built-in monitors
ā¢ Machines whose artwork contain at least one car, truck, or motorcycle
ā¢ Machines with a circus or carnival theme
ā¢ Machines with a side ramp
Medium
ā¢ Machines with 4 or more pop bumpers
ā¢ Machines with a historical theme or historical figure theme
ā¢ Machines with at least one number in its name (can be spelled out)
ā¢ Machines whose name has a subtitle
ā¢ Machines with a specific and named player character
ā¢ Machines themed on an animated TV series or movie
ā¢ Machines themed on a franchise that currently is, or at a past time, was a movie trilogy
Hard
ā¢ Machines themed on a franchise with a comic strip (NOT a comic book)
ā¢ Machines with collection-based progression (modes become available when you obtain an X amount of something)
ā¢ Machines with lightning flippers on original release
ā¢ Licensed-theme physical machines that share its theme with a digital pinball release (not including The Pinball Arcade)
ā¢ DMD-era machines without a wizard mode
ā¢ Solid-state era machines without a multiball mode
ā¢ Machines with an ice or snow theme
Variable
ā¢ Machines whose names begin with a certain letter (excluding āThe,ā āA,ā or āAnā)
ā¢ Machines with a specific number of playfield features (such as ramps or inlanes)
ā¢ Machines of a certain manufacturer
1 Like