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Mechs, shots, innovations.....

PAX

PAX

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So there's been a fair bit of talk about newer pins being rehashes of previous games with similar layouts, similar shots, same mechs, toys etc, etc.

Given that pinball has about a 70 year history it's hardly surprising this is the case.

So what would you like to see done to the world under glass that is fresh, new and innovative?. Dream big, let your imagination go wild 🤪
 
To be honest I don't think they do a bad job but it all comes down to imagination and creativity.

Things like using drumsticks instead of wireforms is a classic example of lateral thinking. The Katana ramp on Deadpool, or the switching ball routes as the tower collapses on Godzilla are all examples of creative thinking on modern games. Stranger Things also had some pretty cool innovation but I think there is a lot more scope for elevated shots like the NGG, or the Demi-dog thing. I think the take-off ramp part is easy enough but the options for where it lands and what it lands in or on are limitless.

I don't know who designed Lebowski but they're clearly highly imaginative and I doubt their creativity stops with pinball either. Obviously other games have a lower playfield but the bowling is just a genius concept as is the rolling back of the rug and the car.

Oktoberfest is also full of neat toys and refreshed concepts so clearly there are talented folk out there.

I'd be very interested to see what creative & artistic people who weren't into pinball would come up with if asked. Sometimes a fresh set of eyes is what's required to freshen things up.
 
One piece of a pinball machine that has remained pretty constant (with a few rare exceptions) is the ball. how about some different ball tech?
 
I always wondered what an air hockey/pinball hybrid would be like, with a gliding puck you couldn't have any ramp shots but could have jet bumpers and orbits, would be fast as hell.

Also we all know how much playfield pitch can effect the game, after watching that Centar coffee table the other day it got me wondering why nobody has implemented some sort of motorised playfield height adjustment, even a moderate 1-2 degree change could alter the game drastically, with a steeper angle the longer the game goes on or for later wizard modes.
 
It comes down to development cost and spares. All those reused mechs are already designed and proven. All reusing a ramp saves on tooling.
There's lots of innovation in the home built games.

in Forbidden Planet.

It automatically degauss the balls when they drain.
It controls smart lights.

Both are firsts. AFAIK.
 
video modes as long as you get 50K for completing it.

Ghostbusters - some bozo gets a lucky ball in the saucer and starts don't cross the stream. Doubles his score WTF?
 
I still don't know why there isn't a sensor in the game to show the level the game is playing and then an overlay to set it up as the designer wanted. So easy to do that now.
 
Is there any game that has a rotating bash toy / target that is perpendicular to the playfield rather than being on the same plane?
 
Yeah like that but I was thinking bigger and one that went below the playfield so could effectively be on a larger scale
 
A “Lego/mousetrap” type theme that sees new mechs raise up from the play field to form new ramps etc. similar to theDr Who time expander but all over the play field. So it starts with a pretty open play field and builds up into increasingly more complex layouts.
 
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johnwhitfield said:
A “Lego/mousetrap” type theme that sees new mechs raise up from the play field to form new ramps etc. similar to theDr Who time expander but all over the play field. So it starts with a pretty open play field and builds up into increasingly more complex layouts.
Click to expand...
That sounds Great!

A whole new meaning to "jet bumper added".
 
I've been thinking of a mechanism for the apex of the L/R orbits - initially it is just the normal orbit, but after activating something, the mechanism rises, creating a pair of ramps, one leading to, say a mini playfield, the other maybe a ball-lock. It could even rise further to then take the balls into a couple of subways. Dunno if anything like it has been done, and physics may even make it impossible in practice.
 
Transforming cab. Yeah. The whole thing. Why not.

Needles in the center of flipper buttons.

Motorised legs with adjustable height.

Inlane speed measuring/displaying device, along with flipper power display.

OLED coindoors with attract dot matrix animations.

Chainsaw flippers with spinning/rotating flipper rubber.

Extra speakers that pop out the sides of the backbox to soley play unique sounds when reaching wizard modes.

Multiple level, laser cut siderails and lockdown bars with EL sheets in between each layer, lit individually to produce animation like effects.

Always dreamed of a rotating playfield. Well, three actually. Imagine a giant 'prism' in the center of the machine, with a fully populated playfield on each side. Each playfield could also have pop up mechs that change the shape of each surface. Orbitor 1 style perhaps?

Thats all i have for now.
 
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One thing I've noticed is that if you look at the older EM stuff - they did a lot more in terms of moving stuff around - flippers, bumpers, outlanes and so forth.
New stuff these days just seems to have more toys. (And some are I gather optional extras now - which I cant say i'm a fan of - feels like DLC for pins - though I guess it they are only cosmetic aint so bad)
 
A digital read out of the level should be easy to implement, and would be a must if online play is ever going to happen and be remotely meaningful.

Why is there the insistence of a shooter lane any more? It's wasted space, the ball could enter the playfield at the top (like Centaur), this would then allow the game to have a wider playable area near the bottom allowing for different designs and changing the angles - almost all games have the same/similar slingshot/inlane/outlane setup.

With Insider Connect rather than just the top 5 high scores, why not each persons own individual best score/achievements on there as well, the same way that BoP 2 did?
My machine only has my initials on, with many guests having zero chance of getting their initials on, this would give them the opportunity to put their initials on that machine, linked to their IC account.

Less laziness in putting three pop bumpers in a triangle at the top of the playfield, although it appears this is becoming less of an issue.

Bring back the moving magnet under the playfield as per Mist on BSD.

More lock stealing possibilities, great fun to see someone go to the effort of locking the ball only for someone else to cash in on their hard work - almost as good as plundering on JJP PotC.
 
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