Apparently I’m not as discrete as @keefer.
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As someone who was a non-player until just a few months ago I’ll totally fess up to most of the things mentioned here! I remember as a kid liking pinball more than my friends, who hated it for not giving you tickets (honestly, if pinball machines gave you tickets I think they would’ve done a lot better in the late 90s) but I didn’t really know what I was doing, I just liked keeping the ball going.
With regards to hitting both flippers at once, I think it’s just an instinctual thing. You see ball, you see drain, you’re not good enough yet to know which flipper the ball’s going towards and you just kinda slap both because that’s better than nothing.
I’d be in total support of some kind of poster illustrating basic techniques. Most people don’t have a very good grasp of physics, so even something like a dead pass might not occur to someone because they don’t visualize the angled bounce. I remember feeling like I had superpowers when I first tried post passing on a real pinball machine!
Also, count me as someone who had no idea pinball machines had modes before I actually started playing. I just kind of assumed you hit the ball around and tried to score points. I’d bet for most people, the goal of pinball is just to get multiball.
I do wish the rulesheets were a little clearer but I suppose there’s only so much information you can cram into that tiny space. Even now figuring out a machine in person just from the rule card is kind of a pain - sometimes when I see one I’ve never played I just sit down and look it up on the PAPA site because otherwise my first couple bucks are gonna be wasted, haha.
Yeah, even now, I see claw machines, Key Master machines, and such everywhere because if people are going to spend money on something, they want to be compensated for it in physical prizes.
Indeed, I began by pressing both flippers at once because I couldn’t properly judge the ball’s path, and that’s a totally understandable thing for a beginner to do. I’m actually more surprised when I see beginners NOT do it.
By the way, you say that you began knowing about scoring points and reaching multiball. I assure you that some people don’t even know that. You see, I have a YouTube channel where I put up videos. Most are footage from normal video games, but I will occasionally upload videos of digital pinball games. These are some of the comments I have gotten from viewers unfamiliar with pinball or passingly familiar with them:
“You ever play the virtual pinball that came with Windows XP? I wasted a lot of time with that. I don’t think I’d be any good at real pinball though.” (Zen Pinball 2, Plants vs. Zombies)
“I seriously had no idea how complex pinball could get, but lately its been an eyeopening experience.” (Zen Pinball 2, Sorcerer’s Lair)
“I would like to clear up a doubt my pinball games end or is only played to see who makes the most points? Despite being a fan of these tables I know little about it.” (Zen Pinball 2, Sorcerer’s Lair)
“So pinball is not just about keeping the ball out of the hole? I’ve been playing pokémon pinball wrong my entire childhood!” (Zen Pinball 2, Sorcerer’s Lair) (note: Pokémon Pinball has score. It also keeps records of the top 5 scores, just like a real-life pinball machine.)
“After reading your description I’ve learned a lot more about real pinball and how it differs from pinball seen in video games. I would love to try out a real pinball machine one day.” (Zen Pinball 2, Sorcrere’s Lair)
“I feel so much wiser after reading just the first few paragraphs of the description…about why people are called pin ball wizards, I never knew that.…If it was just one table kids now a days would get bored with it pretty fast. But with all the different sections, tasks, and themes the game is more up to days standards.” (Zen Pinball 2, Sorcerer’s Lair)
“what are you doing with your life?” (Zen Pinball 2, Doctor Strange)
“i just had flashbacks back to when i used to play this game…so much rage” (Pokémon Pinball R/S, Ruby Table)
“Wut a bunch bull****…i excpeted casino night to be like sonic 2” (Sonic Generations, Casino Night (Modern)) (note: In the 360 and PS3 versions of Sonic Generations, Casino Night is a virtual pinball table. The 3DS version’s Casino NIght is a set of 2-D platforming stages.)
“idc HOW MUCH this is pinball. I wish i had this. i would play it for hours, and if i wanted to play casino night i would just play the 3ds version” (Sonic Generations, Casino Night (Classic))
As you can see, some of these people didn’t even know there are scores to be had in pinball. They just thought you keep playing until you lose. Since my viewership is predominantly people who play or watch video games, they also took concepts like the game ending with the story. Some of these comments are also decidedly negative either at me for putting up pinball or, in the case of Sonic Generations, having a virtual pinball machine inside of a normal video game. Casino Night is not required to finish the game–they’re just angry it’s there at all.
Interesting! I hope that success with Melody will encourage more EMs in public then. So it seems that even an unlicensed or unfamiliar theme on an EM can draw in a lot of people. They are a great deal easier to understand than modern machines.
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Oh sure, I mean, best case scenario people are aware of points and multiball. Also lmao I love that one of them mentions the virtual pinball that came with Windows, which I also spent ages on. I’m sure it’s the only pinball most people in my generation are actually familiar with and have played extensively. It’s definitely true that I was confused about the “goal” of your average pinball machine, even the idea of taking specific shots to advance a mode was beyond me.
Taxi was actually the very first pinball machine I played where I started to understand all that because it’s so clear and simple, as well as Addams Family. It’s funny that Lawlor followed Addams Family with Twilight Zone, which is so, so good but the rules, goals, and techniques are so frustratingly unclear. Right after my experience with Taxi and Addams Family we went to an arcade that had Twilight Zone and we were all so perplexed by it we just kind of gave up after a couple games.
I always thought when people flip at the same time, it’s because people usually suck at de-synchronizing their movements when doing new things. (like patting head and rubbing belly)
Yeah, I would NEVER try to introduce someone to pinball through The Twilight Zone, or any other machine with obtuse rules like AC/DC or The Simpsons Pinball Party, as compelling as they may seem. Games like The Addams Family and Taxi are quite obvious in what to do because they are straightforward. Both of them also have layouts that beginners have fun with just smacking the ball around, and Addams has a forgiving layout so even the worst player can usually at least activate multiball (even if they can’t always begin it).
That reminds me of something else I’ve been thinking about regarding beginners (and this isn’t addressed to anyone in particular, just throwing the idea out to the public at large): Games that earn well on location that are not well-liked by pinball fans. The most notable case is South Park, but Shrek and Gilligans’ Island (the rare time you see one) fall into this category too. All of these machines are straightforward enough, and clear enough in their playfield artwork, to indicate what’s going on without ever having to look up at the DMD. (I cannot tell if Austin Powers is like this though, as they’re very rare in public.)
South Park is undoubtedly the most maligned case, but it’s also the easiest to understand: In front of Cartman are four bags of Cheesy Poofs. Each time you shoot the ball into the Cartman scoop, one of the bags lights up. Same goes with each of the other characters and four pictures of something associated with them. Even someone who has never played pinball before will understand that the game is counting the number of times you get the ball to a character and that something will happen when all four are lit. In addition, ball times are very long on South Park, which are not appealing to experienced pinball players but are heaven to a beginner. It lets them feel like they’re kicking butt. The rules are so simplistic that they won’t hold much value to even an intermediate player, but they’re all a beginner needs. Hence, a game like South Park earns well because it’s a recognized and beloved theme to attract beginners, and when they DO play, they get sucked into it. I see this happen time and time again when I happen to be somewhere with a South Park table and someone’s at it. They’re there for 30+ minutes and are quite animated and vocal at it. And I often see them readying more quarters to play another game. Even if you hate South Park pinball machines with a passion, that’s a sight that should make you feel good.
That begin said, there are games beginners love but are also liked by experienced players. In addition to Addams and Taxi, I can also think of Stern’s Star Trek, Theatre of Magic, Jurassic Park, and Lord of the Rings, all of which have at least one thing to do that’s clear to beginners but have rules that unfold once you get good enough to get past that one thing. But in any case, pinball NEEDS games like these. They can’t all be The Twilight Zone or Metallica, or non-players will get confused and likely turned off of pinball for life.
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What you describe is, I believe, what lead to the creation of “hit the big thing in the middle” games, or “bash toy” games. Something obvious with a huge surface area that you can hit over and over and then something good happens… perfect for beginners. I’m actually not quite sure what the first bash toy game was… perhaps WCS94? Road Show? I’d say that the concept really hit its stride with AFM and MM. Anyway, the beautiful thing about these games is that beginners can have a great time just bashing the big toy and enjoying the associated sound/speech, lighting, mechanics, etc - along with seeing their score go up - but advanced players learn about all the other rules available on the game. Everyone’s happy. And it’s certainly been a long-lasting design… while not every game features a bash toy (thank goodness!), there are still plenty of them in recent games (e.g. Sparky on Metallica, the Prison and the Walker on TWD … I don’t know that I would consider ST’s Vengeance in the same category because it’s actually a relatively difficult shot, but I’d guess that was the intention).
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my goal is to get more new folks into pinball. I’m not sure what draws them to games. Medieval Madness seems to be super popular for everyone (I entered my first tournament that was only on that machine). I didn’t know much like how to get multiball (thought it was random) but did like bashing the castle and eventually it’d explode. I think newbies like that sorta stuff so hence MM and AFM are popular (obvious stuff to hit that does something neat).
With South Park I think maybe it’s just the theme more than knowing what to do but then I was into pinball already by the time I came across that game so I am not sure. I wonder if offering up ‘lessons’ or ‘tutorials’ on how to get better and/or the rules, etc. would help? I decided to offer that up the hour before each of the next four tournaments I’m hosting in December so will see how that goes.
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Straightforward and well-tuned games are probably your best bet. It’s awful being new to pinball and trying to play on a machine with, say, weak flippers (my first experience with MM was killed by this), or a lumpy decal, or unclear rules. Free play is also a boon in general, and having an hour to just play around would probably be excellent. Lessons or tutorials would also be good - if you’re all on a Facebook page, you could always link technique videos, or machine tutorials.
That’s a very good point. I’m using those instruction cards to calm me down at tournaments, that’s how white-noisey they are to me.
It’s not that there’s not enough space, it’s just that most of the stuff on those cards is irrelevant to players of any level. Just put a huge 1, 2, 3 on there. 1, how do I start the main multiball. 2, how do I start modes. 3, how do I get to the wizard mode, and where do I see how far I’m along.
I remember playing video games and pinball machines in the arcade on holiday for two weeks a year when I was younger, and if I was able to figure out 1, that got me to try again. If I could figure out 2, there was suddenly enough variation to the game to get me hooked. Fast forward 20 years, I figured out 3, and now I’m here.
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When I was new, what I had the biggest problems with those rules cards were that I couldn’t understand what they meant. Either I couldn’t find the things the rules cards talked about, or I didn’t know the terminology on them (and I studied the terminology before I got serious about playing pinball). There will be mentions of orbits, drop targets, stand-up targets, scoops, inlanes and outlanes, lights, etc. that a beginner cannot possibly know on their own. (When I asked some people who’ve never played before, oftentimes, they don’t really know the flashing lights mean anything. They think they’re purely decorative.)
I would say that, with the cases of Medieval Madness or Attack from Mars, it’s definitely having a big thing in the middle to hit. With the castle, it’s obvious: There is a clear path leading up to the door, there are sound effects when the door is hit, and when the door is down, anyone can figure something will happen when you get the ball inside. Even if a player never looks at the DMD, they’ll see the castle getting destroyed as they hear sounds of explosions and crumbling, and that’s always fun. With Attack from Mars, it’s a bit less obvious, but enough hits to the center causes the target bank to go down, revealing more stuff underneath. I forget if the saucer actually wobbles when hit though, or if I’m confusing it with Revenge from Mars or Star Trek’s Vengeance.
I’d be interested in seeing if Full Throttle will do well on location, because the presence of a monitor just above the flippers could theoretically serve the same purpose: It’s where a beginner will be constantly looking, and it’d be helpful to show other details about how one’s game is going in that general direction. I hear people having problems with reflexively looking up, but it’s just that: A reflex gained through years of playing pinball. To a person who has never looked at a DMD that’s not part of a school sign or a liquor store window, it should be in the perfect spot, right in their line of sight.
All three of these machines also have a fan layout, meaning a beginner who misses the big thing in the middle will likely accidentally hit something else or shoot some ramp or lane nearby.
I’d also argue that if it’s just the theme that causes South Park to do well, then theoretically, Family Guy (and Shrek), Stern’s Batman, and X-Men should perform well too, but to my knowledge, while they attract a lot of attention, they don’t compare to South Park on location. (But South Park is also pretty much made of big things to hit too at the expense of everything else.) I’m not an operator though, so this is all based on hearsay. That being said, one thing I KNOW for sure is that the South Park pinball machine is a hot item among South Park collectors who know about it.
[quote=“trunchbull, post:49, topic:1001, full:true”]Straightforward and well-tuned games are probably your best bet. It’s awful being new to pinball and trying to play on a machine with, say, weak flippers (my first experience with MM was killed by this), or a lumpy decal, or unclear rules. Free play is also a boon in general, and having an hour to just play around would probably be excellent. Lessons or tutorials would also be good - if you’re all on a Facebook page, you could always link technique videos, or machine tutorials.
[/quote]
Yeah, I’ve lost count of the number of times I’d be at some random restaurant, bowling alley, or other location with a lot of passers-by with some random pinball machine, then they step up to a half-working machine and are completely unaware the machine isn’t supposed to be like that.
I’ll always advocate the system of paying for time. Someone new to pinball won’t have to feel the sting of wasting their money and they can try again and again without the pressure of getting their quarters’ worth. As for lessons and tutorials, it’ll depend on how well-explained they are. They absolutely cannot use normal pinball terminology and should be kept as simple as possible (such as the multiball that’s easiest or simplest to reach). There should also be contact information to report something broken, or at least a board on a wall for people to write issues like what I see at Free Gold Watch (though the operator’s going to need to have a lot of markers, chalk, pencils, or whatever will be used to write on the board as someone will inevitably steal some).