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Nudge or not.

Kaijuball

Kaijuball

Site Supporter
Joined
Mar 29, 2025
Messages
16
Location
Wellingborough
I don't know if members nudge the table they are playing. But I know you might have to, for things like a stuck ball. But for game play I tend not to nudge, and just 'go with the flow' as it were.
Any members think that nudging during a game is wrong?
 
Nudging is very much part of the sport. 👍

Nudge away. 😀

The machine will tell you if you are being too rough. There is a device called a tilt bob in the cabinet which will engage when you are rough.

The first warning says DANGER then again DANGER on the second warning. Final time is a TILT which shuts the game down & loses you all accumulated bonus points for that ball.
 
Have to admit, nudging doesn't seem to come naturally for me, perhaps a symptom of playing video pinball before the real thing,.

Trying to actively nudge before the ball heads to dangerous areas has helped my game, but it's not instinctive yet.
 
Has anyone managed to conquer nudging the wrong way when the ball is undecided whether to take the inlane or outlane?
Bit difficult to explain, first noticed it on a LOTR with skill posts where the ball could hang for a second or two, you’d nudge the machine in what is instinctively the correct way to the inlane only for it to trickle down the out. Nudging the “wrong” way invariably saves the ball.
Obvious not such a problem for non butchered playfields, but still happens occasionally.
Anyone else? Or am I just chatting gibberish?
 
Nudging is absolutely integral to the game.

They are designed to be nudged, the table won't break. They come with adjustable tilt bobs so you can set how much leeway is granted.
 
Outlane juggling is a skill all need to master.

The sharp front nudge when a ball is heading into the danger zone brings out your inner Victor Meldrew - "Oh no you DONT even think about it!"
 
Paul R Owen said:
I know how to nudge. Not necessarily at the right time 😆. I have this thing where I wait for the right time but it's usually drained long ago.
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I'm not a huge nudger either, and seem to be able to hold my own.

There is an art to nudging.
The main things are knowing which direction to nudge and how strongly, but just as important is knowing when not to nudge.

This can only be learned over time and many instances. The number of times I see people nudging because it's what they've seen others do without knowing what they're actually achieving, or trying to achieve is mind blowing. Being able to pick up the trajectory of the ball and knowing whether it is going to go clean down an inlane, or outlane, is the real skill.

Often not nudging is the right thing to do, at other times a subtle nudge, others a full on assault on the machine is needed!
 
OTRawrior said:
Like when the ball sits dead on the out/inlane post rubber and you have to decide which way to push?

It doesn't matter, it will always drain 💯
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NO! If you nudge it the opposite way to what your instincts tell you then you’ve got a 90% chance of saving it.
 
Nudge, changes the whole aspect and the machines tilt Bob (if set up right) will tell you when you’ve gone too far!
 
Gotta do it. Beginners don’t nudge at all, then once you discover it you start nudging almost everything (for better or worse), and then after much experience you finally start just doing it when required. I think I’m in the middle bucket right now 😂
 
I learned early on from somewhere to basically always nudge up away from the slings, works great on top of the slings but if you're bouncing in-between the slings, 8/10 times you'll be nudging up straight into the outline...

Definitely a fine balance but something that makes the tactile experience of pinball unlike any other.
 
Not that I’m peering over secretly wishing my better opponents to have nasty unavoidable drains.. but it’s depressing whenever I see someone do a big slap to one side and save a clear down the middle ball! 😅 it’s almost the equivalent of an extra life / ball and definitely something I need to learn.

Doesn’t always work and likely to get a tilt warning if not even loose your bonus but it’s like flipping a coin to keep on playing or not ? seems well worth the risk!
 
If your not tilting your not trying. Nudging for outlane saves, nudge to adjust ball return from loop to flippers to avoid slings, nudge to hit rollover lanes. Go to the Dr’s with wrist pain, do it properly. 😝
 
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