While at our usual Thursday night tea drinking/pinball session. We were playing Dialed in, almost exclusively.
2 of the 3 were using the App - not to activate the flippers, but merely for the Big Bang shot (awarded instantly by hitting the button on your phone). This can obviously be worth considerable points, as well as being able to complete a mode as the time runs out, or the ball is already heading down the outlane.
Would this be allowed to be used in competition? It’s looking like over half of the locations where league meetings I’ll be running this year will have a Dialed In - not all I’ll have the ability to disable the feature.
Is it so different than using the claws on DM and getting the secret jackpot, and other awards - both were designed to be something a little different which gives a benefit to using the ‘novelty’.
It shouldn’t be allowed in tournament play since there are so many other factors at play.
What if my phone runs out of battery? What if the app doesn’t work on my phone? (The app crashes every time it is opened on my friend’s iPhone, for example.) What if Bluetooth drops out for one player, but not another at a crucial moment (The times I have bothered to use it, the connection hasn’t always been stable).
Even if it can’t be disabled at a location, it should be explicitly disallowed and treated the same as a something like a death save (possible to do, but not allowed).
I agree it shouldn’t be allowed in competitive play, with the possible exception of having a common phone available to all players to use. That would level the playing field and give everyone the same advantage.
I don’t think the Demo Man example is 100% analogous, because there are no additional props you need to use the Demo Man triggers. Using the Dialed In phone features obviously requires you to have a compatible phone.
Glenn doesn’t have the same arms that most people have. Makes his skill that much more impressive. (BTW, anyone heard from Glenn anytime lately? I haven’t seen him at any event in years…)
I would agree that use of the app should be disallowed in competitions, on the basis that players shouldn’t be forced to own a smartphone to get a material advantage in the competition. Furthermore, I’d hope that it’s disallowed when the game software is set to Tournament Mode. I would actually extend the “no use of cameras or visual aids” rule in the “Player Errors” section of the PAPA/IFPA rules to include use of external devices that could influence the game in progress.
My ruling would be… make it like demo man: it’s a player’s choice how they want to play HOWEVER, if they choose the phone, they MUST use the phone buttons to play! Just like in Demo Man, if you want those extra combo points, you gotta use those triggers
Agreed on it being disallowed. On top of the potential technological advantage, it could be seen as a deterrent if for some reason a player linked it while you were trapping after a sick save and took control (assuming you can pair mid-ball).
In tournaments I like the Doug solution - disconnect the Bluetooth dongle.
I think I sort of agree with the idea that if you use the phone, you can ONLY use the phone. Sure, you can get an easy Big Bang cash in, but you’re not going to have good flipper control. If someone really wants that, it’s their option, I guess. I would warn them that there’s no “major malfunction” claim if the Bluetooth drops for a moment though. Bluetooth is the worst technology that we have all commonly adopted.
Demo actually feels weird to me using the cabinet buttons.
