   Pinball!
  So, who here plays pinball? I've played it a few times, had fun, but never had the coins or time to play for long. Sadly there doesn't seem to be a lot of them around these days.I was thinking about the thread we had awhile ago about building arcade machines, producing games for them, and then having a competition each week. Now, I still wouldn't mind doing that, but I got thinking of building my own pinball machine could be more fun.So, what elements actually make a fun pinball game? honestly most of the time I was playing, the whole goal was to just keep the ball on the table, not really aiming for anything, so I'm by no means an expert on the game, which sort of makes it hard to design a good game.As far as actually building it after a base design, it shouldn't be too hard. Most of the contacts I'm guessing could be done with low voltage electrics, seeing as most games use just a steel ball, so things so go easy enough.   
  So, no one likes loud, oldschool pre computer games? Or is everyone mad that I'm not posting a PC version I made and went off to download one now that I reminded them and they forget to post any comments?or does just no one know what makes a good game of it? I figured I would have someone commenting on it after 50+ views.   ;  I like pinball, but I think I've probably played as much as you.  Not real sure what makes a pinball game good, I kinda like lots of cool ramps and track things and stuff.  The only pinball games I've played where I knew what I was doing have been computer versions, like the old epic games and Metroid Pinball.I guess it's nice to have SOME idea of what you're supposed to do, like lit up arrows and things like that.I have no idea about building one, I bet it would be hard, but rewarding.  Even just the flippers and a couple bumbers would be pretty cool.   ;  I used to play pinball a lot. Phantom of the Opera was my favorite one. It's a shame that almost every place that used to have a pinball machine now has one of those photoplay devices. Who likes to play on those things anyway?   ;Quote:Original post by kanzlerI used to play pinball a lot. Phantom of the Opera was my favorite one. It's a shame that almost every place that used to have a pinball machine now has one of those photoplay devices. Who likes to play on those things anyway?THe star wars ones were fun. Photoplay? You mean those things where you stand on a mat and fool around with projected pictures (sort-a-thing)?;  Heh, my uncle has an Addams Family pinball machine in his basement. Myself, I never got into them. I missed that train. I can say, though, that Video Pinball for the Atari 2600 was a masterpiece.   ;  The "Space Cadet" pinball game that came with the Microsoft Plus Pack kept me busy for a long time. It had pretty good physics for a freebie.I would say goals and risks make pinball more interesting. The point is not just to stay alive but to rack up a high score. More risk == more points.;Quote:Original post by DigiDudePhotoplay? You mean those things where you stand on a mat and fool around with projected pictures (sort-a-thing)?No, I mean these devices from hell. Maybe they're a European thing only?   ;Quote:Original post by leiavoiaThe "Space Cadet" pinball game that came with the Microsoft Plus Pack kept me busy for a long time. It had pretty good physics for a freebie.I would say goals and risks make pinball more interesting. The point is not just to stay alive but to rack up a high score. More risk == more points.i think there is a bug with that game.The ball goes far faster on my friends laptop. A pentium 4. On my machine an AMD its really hard to play because of the ball speed.I got 12,000,000+ pts on the pentium 4. there are loads of good tricks when its going fast.   ;Quote:Original post by kanzlerQuote:Original post by DigiDudePhotoplay? You mean those things where you stand on a mat and fool around with projected pictures (sort-a-thing)?No, I mean these devices from hell. Maybe they're a European thing only?They exist in the US.. though I've only seen them in sports bars.   