Thanks, everyone, for the kind advice on this
I've been ill and unable to respond to the thread. Posting now might get some additional good advice too
I don't think I've watched Craig's HLD videos - I might watch those ones.
@VeeMonroe - it is tough to compare your 1 ticket and final placing against everyone elses, as most people had more than one go. Nearly everyone had at least one 'bad' ticket and the final qualifying rankings are based on your best ticket only, so if you had been able to play more tickets it is very likely you would have finished higher. You also would have benefitted a lot from knowing how the tables were playing when you played it the next time.
One thing you should be happy with is beating your husband, who I know is a good and improving player from his recent PBR scores.
With his four tickets vs your one, you did a nice job finishing higher even though I know he played below his normal level.
Thank you so much for the kind words
My husband had an asthma attack the previous night due to a (non-COVID, we've checked) chest infection, which explains why he wasn't playing as well as usual. I don't think I was either. I thought I was playing no worse than usual, but was wholly reliant on Naproxen to get through the day because I'd been exposed to his infection and was running a fever. Unfortunately, due to the number of fevers I run, I'm just going to have to get good at playing pinball with a fever!!
I'd echo what some of the others have said - playing more competitive games helps. Do come down to PBR once in a while on a Thursday and join in if you can - even if you have to take turns coming while someone watches the kids, you'll certainly start to improve. Also one thing about competitive play - it is more important to raise your average standard of play (in most competitions) - so developing more consistency/getting better scores on average I'd argue is more important than beating your best ever scores.
Again, since reading this, we're now organising a babysitter for some Thursdays.
If you have 2 bad balls on a game at home don't quit the game or stop caring - challenge yourself to turn that bad game into a reasonable or good one. Much easier said than done - especially in a competitive format. But this can make all the difference (and something I'm still working on).
I get a lot of two bad balls that I can turn into a third ball. My toddler loves to start a game that he doesn't finish...
What are the rubbers on FT? It was very bouncey!
I *think* they're Titans. I may be wrong, but Titans seem to come in a dark translucent green colour whereas Perfect Play (which I have) are opaque neon green. Can anyone confirm who has Titans on their pins?
Also, if anyone has an opinion on Perfect Play -vs- Titan that would help because I'd been ordering Perfect Play from Pinball Bazaar.
I used to suffer if i had to play on a machine i had at home because the shots or feeds will always be slightly different. I also believe that getting experience of playing with pressure helps a lot! I don't think it is a coincidence that regular attendees of the various clubs and comps around the country are the most improving players.
That Flash Gordon in Classics hated me. I still have no idea how I could make a backhand into the Wood Beast from the competition Flash Gordon. It is physically impossible on my machine. Presumably, flipper alignment?
No matter how good you are, if you don't know the rules on a modern stern or jjp you do not stand a chance against a good player. This is why some folk swarm round the latest releases at shows. I have had much longer ball times but lost matches to folk that know the rules for example.
I think older, simpler games are a much better test of a player's ability as noobs can pick up the rules on pre DMD games in about an hour of play versus weeks of play on the latest titles. Some Bally SS or EM titles are even simpler.
This is probably why I prefer classics right now. I am terrible at rules. I've tried to learn rules on the newer pins on playing, but I tend to drift into strategies that seem to work or be simple when I'm playing on location, and don't deviate, which is why - thanks to Neil - I tried to get Chaos multi ball on the JP2 in Funland for the first time about a week ago.
Craig's videos he did with HLD improved my game massively (from rubbish to average
) definitely worth checking out as learning techniques like live catch, bounce pass and nudging can make a huge difference to your game.
edit: not an advert for HLD below, contains links to Craig's vids.
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Thanks!
