HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: jerryc@tekig7.PEN.TEK.COM (Jerry C Carathers)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Quick Pinball Vote
Keywords: 2-ball multi-ball, million plus ;^)
Date: 28 Jul 92 16:16:40 GMT
Article-I.D.: tekig7.6324
Organization: Tektronix Inc., Beaverton, Or.



Well fellow pinheads, how about us generating a mid-year impromtu vote for our
top five favorite pinballs of all time. I know, I know, we have kosher ways of
doing this on a semi-annual basis, but a little informal discussion is fine on
such a low traffic group, IMHO.

I'll kick it off with my top five list as of 28 July 1992:

Drum roll please...

		     # 5 --- The Party Zone (Bly/Wms 1991)
		     # 4 --- FunHouse (Wms 1991)
		     # 3 --- Terminator 2 (Wms 1991)
		     # 2 --- Elvira and the Party Monsters (Bly/Wms 1989)
              and...
		     # 1 --- The Addams Family (Bly/Wms 1992)


I see a pattern between my home collection and my top five favorites. Hmm...

		     Jerry (Mr. Pinball) Carathers
-- 
Internet: jerryc@tekig7.MAP.TEK.COM
___          __   __                __                        __  __
|_ ) | |\ | |__) |__| |   |      | (__     |\/| \ /    |   | |_  |_    
|    | | \| |__) |  | |__ |__    | ___)    |  |  |     |__ | |   |__     
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: mpalmer@encore.com (Mike Palmer)
Subject: Re: Judgment Day
Keywords: No sleep last nite...
Organization: Encore Computer Corporation
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1992 17:48:21 GMT

jerryc@tekig7.PEN.TEK.COM (Jerry C Carathers) writes:


>Geez, I've sure been selling off my collection lately. Been getting rid of
>all the old stuff to make room for new acquisitions. My home collection is
>actually down to six, yes 6 games!

>I've decided to focus on quality, not quantity. Things are getting more
>state of the art because half of my collection is now dot-matrix (well,
>three ;^).

>In the last two weeks I sold three games that I wasn't playing anymore.
>Mousin' Around, Diner and BK2000. Oh... and I picked up a pristine
>Terminator 2 yesterday.  

>Get this, a guy got my number from an operator because he'd bought a T2 new
>in the carton and his wife decided that she didn't want it in the house
>anymore. He was referred to me and now Arnie is alive and well in my
>gameroom! I'm surprised my neighbors didn't call the police at 2 AM last
>nite when I was whipping around that chase loop with motorcycle sound
>effects thundering through the house (stereo, equalizer, BIG speakers, et.
>al). 

>This is too good to be true! I have the #1 and #2 rated pinball games at
>home (Replay and Play Meter top 10, July). Am I dreaming...

Can I ask how much you paid for these new state of the art machines?  I too
would love an almost new machine, but cost is prohibitive I think.


Regards,	
Mike palmer    				Telephone: (305) 797-2326 (W)
email: mpalmer@encore.com               	   (305) 746-3146 (H)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: dale@ingr.com (Dale Berisford)
Subject: Collecting Pinball Prices
Reply-To: dale@ingr.com
Organization: System Management Applications - Intergraph Corp. 
Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1992 15:03:55 GMT

I am collecting prices that have been paid for pinball machines.  If you
have purchased something or know the asking price for any machines 
please email me the following information.  I'll post the results in
a couple of weeks.

Machine Name          Condition     Price   Date   Comments
--------------------- ---------  --------- ------ --------------------
Black Knight          A - F         $450    4/91  
                         or
                      1 - 10
                      A or 1 is
                      best

-- 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|  Dale "I Tilt 'Em" Berisford  Intergraph Corporation       O     |~|  T  |
|  205-730-4028                 MS CR1104                   /\_    |_|  I  |
|  dale@ingr.com                Huntsville, AL 35894-0001  /\ ;===== |  L  |
----------------------------------------------------------/ / |~~~~~~l  T  |
From: angst@shamrock.ucsb.edu (love)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: ADJUST FAILURE on Williams Machines?
Date: 24 Jul 92 21:37:39 GMT
Organization: Finnigan's Cheezy Combustibles and Lawnmower Emporium

I've got a High Speed, but I figure maybe this problem has happened
to owners of other Williams machines.

When I power up my machine, the display flashes ADJUST FAILURE.
When I use the black adjust buttons inside the door, it says
FACTORY SETTINGS, and then allows to make adjustments such as
number of balls/game, free play yes/no, etc.  Once I make some
desired adjustments, the machine works.  But if I turn it off 
and let it sit overnight, I have the same problem when I power 
it up.

Anyone have any ideas?

Thanks muchly in advance.

-d
"I have forced myself to contradict myself in 	|          Dave Stein
order to avoid conforming to my own taste."     |       angst@cs.ucsb.edu
                          -Marcel Duchamp 	|    angst%cs@ucsbuxa.bitnet
From: mhs@fokus.gmd.de (M.Schmeil)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: judgement day prize / votes
Date: 30 Jul 92 09:39:43 GMT
Organization: GMD-Fokus (Berlin)


a pal of mine (son of a guy who owns and put up pinball/videogames/etc.) said that T2 was the most expensive pinball so far. the other new pinballs are about DM 5000, T2 is about DM 7500
(about $5000) here in germany. cause i play only in the same 3 pubs with the same machines i'm unable to list you 5 of my faves. T2 is defintly the most enjoyable pinball i ever played. addams family is nice too. the others (and i don't like them too much) are bugs bunny and two pinballs which names i forgot - one with cars and streets (no race-design) and one where you have to kill a fire (san francisco 1900?). the fire pinball is ok, cause you can get replays very easy (means playing hours for less money




). unfortunatly never saw whirlwind, etc. some questions:
- how much is a new/used T2 in the USA?
- how much is a single game in the states (here: 1 dm - $.66 - for 3 balls)?
- is someone compiling the votes?

- tB! 
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: butzer@cis.ohio-state.edu (Dan Butzer)
Subject: HS2 "Secret Mania"
Originator: butzer@anaconda.cis.ohio-state.edu
Organization: The Ohio State University Computer & Information Science
Date: Wed, 22 Jul 1992 17:15:11 GMT


When playing HS2 my brother was doing rather well and was awarded "secret
mania".   This played much like Red Line Mania, but we could not figure
out how it was started.  We think it had something to do with hitting
several loops very quickly ( 4 or 5 ).

Any ideas?

BTW, does anyone know it WMS is still building these?  The local Malibu
just got the unit a couple weeks ago.  This one may be a keeper....
What is the going rate for a new unit these days, still around $3k?

--Regards

   Dan

butzer@cis.ohio-state.edu
From: phaedrus@milton.u.washington.edu (Phaedrus)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Re: Backhand shots
Date: 31 Jul 92 15:55:23 GMT
Organization: University of Washington, Seattle

In article <1992Jul31.135031.27451@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU> thrash@virginia.edu (Scott Evans) writes:
>I've heard a lot of discussion on the "backhand shot" lately,
>but I don't think I know what exactly that means.  Would anyone
>care to elaborate on the different names for shots?  Who knows,
>I might be doing em left and right and not just know it...

     Normally, targets on the left side of the playfield are hit with the
right flipper, and vice-versa.  A backhand is shooting for a target using the
flipper on the same side of the playfield.  For example, a trivial backhand
is hitting the bookcase using the right flipper on TAF; a bit tricker one is
hitting the skull from the left flipper on TAF, and an impressive one is
locking a ball or scoring a jackpot from the left flipper on High Speed 2.
-- 
Internet: phaedrus@u.washington.edu        (University of Washington, Seattle)
 "If you can keep your head while those about you are losing theirs,
    consider an exciting career as a guillotine operator!"
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: sbb@panix.com (Steve Baumgarten)
Subject: Re: Lethal Weapon DE
Date: Wed, 22 Jul 1992 01:29:02 GMT
Organization: PANIX Public Access Unix, NYC

In article <6219@tekig7.PEN.TEK.COM> jerryc@tekig7.PEN.TEK.COM (Jerry C Carathers) writes:

   Well boyz and girls, I finally got around to playing LW3 today.
   Graphics and sound are A+. Gameplay is DE true to form (need I say
   more?). Those horizontal flipper are awful!

Here's an interesting fact:

NOT ONLY ARE THOSE HORIZONTAL FLIPPERS AWFUL... THEY'RE A MISTAKE!

Yes, it seems that quite a few LW3 games went out the door with the
flippers misadjusted.  If you call Data East, they'll tell you this.

What they apparently won't do is send out an official service
announcement about this royal botch -- you have to know enough to call
them and say "Hey guys, what's with those dopey flippers?  Are they
really supposed to be like that?"

(This bit of information comes third hand; however, the second hand is
Steve Epstein, and the first hand is -- I believe -- Joe Kaminkow.)

So all you LW3 fans who are starting to shy away from the game because
of the absurd horizontal flippers, grab your operator and have him
make that phone call to Chicago -- or just go ahead and help him do
the adjustment by eye and by feel.

It makes a BIG difference!  You can actually make all the shots on
the game with little or no trouble (though the subway loop is a little
bit more difficult).  You can cradle the ball -- is that Lyman cheering
in the background?  :-)  You can make backhand shots.

Getting the angle right calls for a little trial and error, but I
think two or three iterations should do it.

Steve did it to the game at Broadway this morning, and I couldn't tear
myself away from it afterwards -- though I'm still not all that good
at it yet.  I really like LW3; in fact, quite a bit more than I
thought I would, given my usual dislike of DE machines.

As others have noted, the software is rock solid -- a refreshing and
welcome change -- and both the sound and the display are better than
anything out there.  Steve has his LW3 right next to HSII, and I have
to say that HSII looks kind of dull and uninspired in comparison.
I've really enjoyed playing HSII, and I suspect I'll continue to
enjoy it in the coming months, but if LW3 is free, I'll be playing it
instead. 

I'm going to post a more complete review tomorrow; in the meantime,
folks, get your operators to adjust those flippers so the game is
playable.  Then give it another try and see if you don't upgrade your
opinion of it a little bit.  

Hell, I kind of liked it even *with* the horizontal flippers...  :-)

--
    Steve Baumgarten       |  "New York... when civilization falls apart,
    PANIX, New York, NY    |   remember, we were way ahead of you."
                           |  
    Email: sbb@panix.com   |                            - David Letterman
From: rogue@cellar.org (Rachel McGregor)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: It still sounds like "Don't Touch Youself."
Date: 21 Jul 92 04:36:33 GMT
Organization: The Cellar BBS and public access system

There's one quote in TAF that after months of playing and listening closely
I can't quite fathom.  When you drop the ball in the swamp, Tish says
something that sounds like "don't touch yourself."  It's not a quote from
the film (that I can remember, at least), and I really have my doubts that
Williams would've thrown it in there because it doesn't make plot sense.

Can anyone tell me what this quote really is?

           
   Rachel McGregor (rogue@cellar.org) - research contractor, modem junkie
-::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::-
"It's a riddle, wrapped in an enigma, dipped in a rich, chocolatey coating!"
From: sjsobol@tiny.com (Steven J. Sobol)
Reply-To: sjsobol@tiny.com (The Man with the Silver Balls)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Distribution: world
Subject: Re: Quick Pinball Vote
Keywords: 2-ball multi-ball, million plus ;^)
Organization: The Tiny Software Company, Main Office, Cleveland, Ohio
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 92 17:10:23 

wscotti@utkvx3.utk.edu (Scotti Z. Whitmire) writes:
>In article <6324@tekig7.PEN.TEK.COM>,
> jerryc@tekig7.PEN.TEK.COM (Jerry C Carathers) writes...
>>Well fellow pinheads, how about us generating a mid-year impromtu vote for our
>>top five favorite pinballs of all time. 

5. Cyclone (Hey! You!)
4. Black Knight 2000
3. EarthShaker
2. Banzai Run
1. F-14 Tomcat (your first experience is always your most memorable)

-- 
***  **  ** | The Tiny Software Company/23707 Glenhill Dr./Cleveland, OH 44122
 *  *   *   |   Steven Sobol - President  - sjsobol@tiny.com or tiny!sjsobol 
 *   *  *   |   Alternate addresses: sjsobol@wariat.org or ag510@po.cwru.edu
 *    * *   | 
 *  **   ** |
From: "mark longridge" <mark.longridge@canrem.com>
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: mousin' & taf
Date: 27 Jul 92 03:25:50 EST
Reply-To: "mark longridge" <mark.longridge@canrem.com>
Distribution: rec
Organization: Canada Remote Systems

I was playing Mousin' Around, a fairly recent Bally pin, and I was
doing rather well when I noticed my bonus score at 990,000. This
is carried over to the next ball and I rolled my bonus back to 225,000.
Instead of my expected 1,225,000 (you guessed it) I only get the
225,000.

Argh.... and on TAF today I find I can't do THING flips as the ball
always takes the path it normally does when I Bear Tick and I get
+2 Ticks. In other words the little gate on the left side of the machine
is always out. I believe this is operated by magnets.

Anyways top TAF score: 296,000,000
  top Mousin' Around:   16,480,000
  top      Funhouse:    42,000,000

Nothing negative to say about Funhouse except I can never find it. I
don't see how a billion points on TAF is possible. The machine I
play loves to drain on the right side.

My all-time favourite pin is TAF. I am also fond of the original Black
Knight and Funhouse.

Anybody remember Embryon (sp?) or Future Spa? These are the first
machines I can remember with LEDs for scoring but I'm not certain which
was the first.

Any pinball historians out there??

Mark Longridge
--
Canada Remote Systems  - Toronto, Ontario/Detroit, MI
World's Largest PCBOARD System - 416-629-7000/629-7044
From: keatesm@cs.man.ac.uk (Martin Keates(MSC RJH))
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Re: What! No BACKHANDS?? (was Re: Lame Weapon 3)
Date: 21 Jul 92 13:51:40 GMT

>The HSII I play just got cleaned.  The ball now *always* makes it around
>the speed loop from the plunger (go figure :-) and play is lightning fast.
>It's actually a lot more fun!  I played a 4 player game all by myself and
>collected a 42M helicopter bonus!  Bing bing bing bing!  Kickback lit!
>Bing bing bing bing!  Helicopter bonus increases!

That's funny, the one I play has also just been cleaned and fixed (yes,
_fixed_, I finally managed to convince the arcade attendents that flippers
that _start_ horizontal aren't exactly configured properly).

Before ... the plunger _never_ made it to the top flipper (and normally went
straight down the kickback lane), the bottom right flipper was so weak it was
impossible to make the lock from it and very difficult to get the
supercharger, and every ten seconds of play the ball would go down the
kickback lane). _But_, a shot around the right freeway loop always went all
the way around.

And now ... the plunger always shoots the balls up to the top flipper (and
bloody fast too), the bottom right flipper can make the lock shot easily, and
the supercharger ramp is easy as piss to hit now. The slingshots are so active
that if the ball hits them it always goes like a machine gun between them and
normally hits all the kickback targets before flying off up higher into the
playfield. And the ball hardly ever goes down the left outlane anyway.
So, loads of fun except that when the lock ramp is down a shot around the
right freeway goes so fast that the ramp doesn't get out of the way quickly
enough and often diverts the ball so it goes the wrong way down the speed
millions loop and straight down the right outlane :(. But apart from that it
plays really well, and I think I like it quite a lot now.
I especially like the way that if all the lights have been hit you can lock
all three balls straight after each other - lock number 1, number 2 goes
round to the top flipper, lock number 2, number 3 goes round to top flipper,
lock number 3, wooo-wooo-woooo-wooo.

Oh, just one quick question - what happens if you hit all the lights twice
during a multiball etc. after collecting an extra ball for getting them the
first time (in the same multiball) - does it light the extra ball again?

Martin.
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: yyz@cbnewsf.cb.att.com (donald.w.coons)
Subject: Re: PINBALL:LURE OF THE SILVER BALL
Organization: AT&T
Distribution: na
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1992 19:52:24 GMT

In article <1992Jul27.174427.14883@SSD.intel.com> kadingo@ssd.intel.com (Jim W. Kadingo) writes:
>In article <1992Jul26.021145.115@u.washington.edu>, steveskr@milton.u.washington.edu (Steve Skrzyniarz) writes:
>|> Does anyone know where I can order a copy of Pinball:Lure of the Silver Ball?
>|> I've checked with several bookstores (authors Flowers/Kurtz, publisher
>|> Chartwell Books) with no luck -- I've even had clerks at B Dalton's and
>|> Waldenbooks check the lists of books in print and it's not listed.  Anyone
>|> have an address/phone # where I can order one of these?
>|> 
>|> Thanks,
>|> 
>|> Steve Skrzyniarz  (steveskr@u.washington.edu)  
>


I went thru this same scenario a couple of months ago also. Finally I got the
name of the book distributor from someone and called direct and ordered the
book. I think the company is called AMR publishing, but since I am at work
and that info is at home I am not sure. However, I will get the info and
post it tonight.

      Don Coons
      dwc@wnb3b2.att.com
From: jimh@pacdata.uucp (Jim Harkins)
Subject: Re: Lethal Weapon DE
Organization: Pacific Data Products
Date: Thu, 23 Jul 1992 16:50:24 GMT

In article <SBB.92Jul21202902@panix.com> sbb@panix.com (Steve Baumgarten) writes:
>NOT ONLY ARE THOSE HORIZONTAL FLIPPERS AWFUL... THEY'RE A MISTAKE!

Ahhh, the irony.  DE is roundly blasted for poor software.  They fix the
software and what happens?  The flippers, probably the most important part
of any pin, are fouled up.  Does DE only have X number of inspecters, and
if they're checking foo they can't check bar as well?

jim

-- 
Lawyers Creed:  What's mine is mine, what's yours is negotiable.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Jim Harkins                         [ucsd|uunet]!pacdata!jim
Pacific Data Products               jim@pacdata.com
--------------------------------------------------------------
From: overturf@bigbootay.sw.stratus.com (Dallas Overturf)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Re: Quick Pinball Vote
Keywords: 2-ball multi-ball, million plus ;^)
Date: 29 Jul 92 21:54:21 GMT
Organization: Stratus Computer, Software Engineering


Well here is my  $0.02 worth:

1.  The Addams Family 	Bally/WMS
2.  Paragon		Bally	
3.  Flying Carpet	Gottlieb
4.  Jumping Jack	Gottlieb
5.  Time Machine	Data East
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: bovine@engin.umich.edu (Mitchell Rohde)
Subject: Re: HELP!  Flakey operation - Questions
Date: Sat, 25 Jul 92 23:00:31 EDT
Organization: University of Michigan Engineering, Ann Arbor

  Typically, there are diodes across the solonoids to for a couple of
 reasons, one of which is to filter spikes generated when the
 magnetic field of the solonoid collapses...

  sounds like the spiking might be getting back through to your 
 digital circuits..... add diodes.
From: ben@monmouth.edu (Bennett Broder)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Re: Quick Pinball Vote
Keywords: 2-ball multi-ball, million plus ;^)
Date: 29 Jul 92 13:31:47 GMT
Organization: Monmouth College, W. Long Branch, NJ  07764

In article <6324@tekig7.PEN.TEK.COM> jerryc@tekig7.PEN.TEK.COM (Jerry C Carathers) writes:
>Well fellow pinheads, how about us generating a mid-year impromtu vote for our
>top five favorite pinballs of all time. I know, I know, we have kosher ways of
>doing this on a semi-annual basis, but a little informal discussion is fine on
>such a low traffic group, IMHO.


5. Whirlwind
4. Dr. Dude
3. T2
2. FunHouse
1. The Addams Family


-- 

Bennett Broder               Monmouth College
                             Computer Services
ben@monmouth.edu             W. Long Branch, NJ 07764
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: oday@lobster.gsfc.nasa.gov  (Orin Day)
Subject: (Yet another!) TAF question
Reply-To: oday@lobster.gsfc.nasa.gov  (Orin Day)
Organization: Goddard Space Flight Center
Date: Fri, 31 Jul 1992 18:18:51 GMT


There is one feature of TAF that, after loads of play, I still
don't understand.  I know that after a drain the Mansion room
that is "next up" will sometimes change, but what action sometimes
changes the "next" room during a ball?  Is this a timed thing? 
Occasionally the "Lite Extra Ball" window will be flashing, but
by the time I eventually get the ball into the Chair something
else may be lit.

Hope this wasn't already in the TAFFAQ.

Orin 

--
*********** "The NeXT is dead!  Long live the NeXT!" *************
Orin Day, Code 664.1                    oday@lobster.gsfc.nasa.gov
Hughes STX/NASA       GSFC Laboratory for High Energy Astrophysics
******* Think that this is NASA's opinion?  NO, NO, NO!!!" *******
From: mpalmer@encore.com (Mike Palmer)
Subject: Touchup help
Organization: Encore Computer Corporation
Date: Sun, 26 Jul 1992 11:37:12 GMT

I have found the Avon Nail Enamel touch up pen great help in touching up 
playfields.  It removes"whisps" of excess paint easily are very accurately.

Also the DecoColor paint markers available at craft stores come in handy.
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: hal@gateway.mitre.org (Hal Feinstein)
Subject: Gottlieb Lost Archive?
Organization: Malox Corporation, Vienna, VA
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 1992 20:41:33 GMT


Being an investigator/researcher type I began to  wondering if the 
Gottlieb company might have maintain an engineering archive  or 
just a collection of its old papers somewhere before it closed down, 
and if so, just perhaps,  this archive might still exist 
locked in dusty store room, all but forgotten.  It wouldn't be the first 
time something like this happened and not the last. 

Although you never know whats really in old records until you look at
them, such an archive would probably have lots of material on old machines,
including engineering drawings, wiring schematics and theory of operation.
Lore on machines never released. And who knows what other goodies.

Can anyone tell me what happened to Gottlieb in its final years. 
Why did it fold anyway. Did they get taken over by some
"entertainment" giant?   If you know the background I would
enjoy hearing from you (e-mail).  If we can get a good starting 
point then we might start the search!


                     -H.
From: jchamber@ecst.csuchico.edu (John William Chamberlain)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Parting out Paragon Playfield!!
Date: 29 Jul 92 20:25:00 GMT
Organization: California State University, Chico

The subject lines says it all.  Elm me if you are interested in any parts.
I have coils and playfield plastic.