HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: sjsobol@tiny.com (Steven J. Sobol)
Reply-To: sjsobol@tiny.com (Steven J. Sobol)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Distribution: world
Subject: Re: Posting pix of pins?
Organization: The Tiny Software Company, Main Office, Cleveland, Ohio
Date: Tue, 18 Aug 92 21:55:39 

remy@sun450a.ccs.northeastern.edu (Remy Evard) writes:

>>|It would probably be more appropriate to post them to alt.binaries.pictures
>>|(and then post a list of them to r.g.p.), but I've heard that some sites do
>>|not receive a.b.p.
>>
>>Right, mine being one of them.  r.g.p is low-volume, why not keep it here?
>
>Because r.g.p is low-volume.  A lot of people/sites get it because it's
>low volume, and if it goes up, they'll drop it.  One poster already mentioned
>that.  (Some people have to pay for this.)

And some people don't have to pay directly for their newsfeeds, but they
(well, I) still have a very small hard drive and therefore not a lot of room
for news. I have around 5 MB allocated for news, so I would definitely drop
r.g.p. if binaries got posted.

--TechnoGeek

-- 
***  **  ** | The Tiny Software Co.  23707 Glenhill  Cleveland OH 44122
 *  *   *   | Steve Sobol * President * sjsobol@tiny.com or tiny!sjsobol 
 *   *  *   | Alternate addresses: sjsobol@wariat.org or ag510@po.cwru.edu
 *    * *   | Disclaimer: I *AM* the Tiny Software Company. 
 *  **   ** |      *** DON'T SHOOT ME!! I'm too cute to die!!!! ***

Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: root@impmh.uucp
Subject: Greetings from a new user.
Organization: Integrated Micro Products Ltd
Date: Mon, 10 Aug 1992 11:59:36 GMT

Hi There,
	
	I thought I would introduce myself as I have just got onto
	the net after a while of trying. My name is Jerry Sidman and
	I work as a UNIX systems programmer. I am one of the leading
	personalities on the pinball scene in England. I heard about
	the pinball newsgroup after a friend obtained a hard copy of
	a discussion about multi level William's machines. This would
	have been around about september last year as I was just about
	to set off for Chicago. Since then I have been trying to get on
	the net and at last I have suceeded !!! The dicussion on multi
	level games was of particular interest to me as I own what is
	probably the finest example of a Solar Fire in the world. I never
	saw the outcome of the discussion and I don't want to recover
	ground but for my money, Solar Fire is the best of the multi levels
	with many subtle features which can not be aprieciated without
	many hours of play. I may expand on this if anyone is interested.

	My currect collection is as follows :-

	Solar Fire
	Barracora
	Fire Power
	Gor-Gar
	Spectrum
	Meteor
	Scorpion
	Wizard
	Worlds Fair
	Cover Girl
	Topper
	Miami
	Home Run
	Jungle

	The last four are all 1930's machines which I have recently aquired.
	They all need some electrical work but have very good decks. In fact
	I tend not to touch machines unless the deck is very good and such
	all my machines are in very good condition.

	I am currently writing a book on playing pinball and I am sure that
	the net will be really useful for consulting with other players. 
	I have listed my address and telephone number below and anyone who
	wishes to visit the UK is more than welcome to pay a visit and stay
	a few nights. However I am shortly going to start work in Phoenix
	Arizona for about a year and obviously will not be at my home address.
	I will post my Phoenix address when I know it. If there is anyone
	out in Phoenix reading this could they make contact as I would like
	to meet some of the local players.

	Could anyone tell me what the date's are for the Chicago Expo 92.
	Since I attended last year I thought they would send me a mail
	drop but nothing's arrived so far. A phone number for the organiser
	would also be useful.


	Home Address

	6 Station Road
	Kenton Bank Foot
	Newcastle Upon Tyne
	England
	UK 
	NE13 8AG

	Home phone  UK 091 2860068
	Work phone  UK 0207 503481

	Email jerry@imp.mh.uucp


	PS. Personnel message to Larry at Williams, I got on at last !!; did
	you see my idea for a game that I sent to Roger. See you at Expo.


	Keep Flipping

				Jerry "Shake 'Em " Sidman
From: bradam@twobits.Eng.Sun.COM (Brad Martinson)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Re: SPECTRUM
Date: 15 Aug 1992 16:48:49 GMT
Organization: Sun Microsystems Inc., Mountain View, CA
NNTP-Posting-Host: twobits

Saw one at the Scottsdale Pinball show.  The part that really blew me
away was that there were several places that a ball could be locked in,
but often a ball would roll into a lock area *and another would be kicked
out somewhere else* on the playfield.  Kept you on your toes!  Even though
it was set to free play, I only gave it two or three plays before moving on. 
Yawn.

Brad Martinson
--
 +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
 | Brad Martinson, XWindows janitor   SunSoft,Inc   brad.martinson@sun.com |
 |    Sic Gorgiamus Allos Subjectatos Nunc   #include <std/disclaimers.h>  |
 +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
From: sjsobol@tiny.com (Steven J. Sobol)
Reply-To: sjsobol@tiny.com (Steven J. Sobol)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Distribution: world
Subject: Re: Rape, arcade style
Organization: The Tiny Software Company, Main Office, Cleveland, Ohio
Date: Fri, 21 Aug 92 01:21:11 

I wrote:

>>>Someone pointed me to Power Play in downtown Cleveland for a TAF. Power Play
>>>charges seventy five cents for a *SINGLE* credit on any of their games. 
>>>Anyone else charge this much?

trebor@foretune.co.jp (Robert J Woodhead) replied:

>Japan: 100yen per play.  Some places have 3 plays for 200yen, but not
>the only place within a reasonable commute that has TAF (it's the

For those of us not up on exchange rates, about how much is that in
U.S. dollars??

>|  Fundamental Mistakes in the design of the World's User Interface, #3217  |
>|                   "Elevators don't have CANCEL buttons"                   | 

Another fundamental mistake:
If you're about to tilt, it would be nice to have a button marked
"Wait! I didn't really mean to do that!!". Oh well.
-- 
***  **  ** | The Tiny Software Co.  23707 Glenhill  Cleveland OH 44122
 *  *   *   | Steve Sobol * President * sjsobol@tiny.com or tiny!sjsobol 
 *   *  *   | Alternate addresses: sjsobol@wariat.org or ag510@po.cwru.edu
 *    * *   | Disclaimer: I *AM* the Tiny Software Company. 
 *  **   ** |      *** DON'T SHOOT ME!! I'm too cute to die!!!! ***
From: lopez@aristotle.ils.nwu.edu (Chris &)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Re: Rape, arcade style
Date: 20 Aug 92 04:26:49 GMT
Organization: The Institute for the Learning Sciences
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL5

Robert J Woodhead (trebor@foretune.co.jp) wrote:
: 
: Japan: 100yen per play.  Some places have 3 plays for 200yen, but not
: the only place within a reasonable commute that has TAF (it's the
: place right next to the famous police box in Shibuya, they have
: Hook, Party Zone, T2, TAF, Super Mario and High Speed II as I recall;
: I only play TAF)

Am I correct in assuming about 150 yen / dollar?
(Making it approximately $.66 / game and $1.33 / 3 games.)

Not bad at all given what people claim other forms of entertainment cost
over there.  (Plays, Movies, etc.  NOT what you people where thinking of) 
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: bbs-garfield@jwt.UUCP (David Eison)
Subject: Re: Trouble reporting (was: Re: LW3 and Super Mario Brothers)
Reply-To: bbs-garfield@jwt.UUCP
Organization: The Matrix
Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1992 03:41:17 GMT

overturf@bigbootay.sw.stratus.com (Dallas Overturf) writes:

> Any place should refund your money.  Course those that put up
> 
How about the STUPID places that only give you one credit on a machine, 
even if they can SEE that you put $1.00 into the broken one.. That 
happened to me on a broken TAF... And they refused to shut it off... and 
the idiot wouldn't even listen would I told him what was wrong... I also 
tried an F-14 in similar shape, but didn't mind TOO much because the rest 
of the arcade was wonderful
 
> And I most certainly have no problem in telling them to cough
> up or chance losing the machine!!!  picking up the front a couple
> feet and letting it drop while they watch I once found to be a very
> effective means of communication with a place that messed with me.
> Strangely I was not even thrown out; though we weren't on good
> speaking terms for a few days.  In this case they knew they 
> were wrong and what really irked me was they knew I was right!
> So there never should have been such an incident.
> 
> Guess every now and then you gotta remind some folks you're not
> taking and crap from them.
 
So THAT'S how to get them to listen.. I've asked a couple times what to 
do when operators are stupid idiots who've never played pinball in their 
LIFE... Guess I've gotta start ruining ruined machines.. <G>  But where I 
play, not only would the machine tilt 15 times, but I *WOULD* get kicked 
out.. with no chance of getting my credits back.. <G>

---
David Eison - Garfield
     FidoNET:  David Eison@1:363/152
    InterNET:  bbs-garfield@jwt.uucp
From: kenr@cabezon.uucp (Ken Richards)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Shipping costs
Date: 19 Aug 92 21:51:25 GMT
Article-I.D.: cabezon.1992Aug19.215125.905
Organization: Logic Modeling Corporation of Beaverton Oregon


Does anyone have information on the cost to ship
a pinball machine between states? A trucking company
in Portland quoted a price of $63 for pick up and
delivery + $45 per 100 lbs + crating costs. Is there
a cheaper way to ship machines?


Ken

-- 
___________________________________________________________________________
   Ken Richards        |                | It's tragic that families can be 
 Logic Modeling Corp   |  kenr@lmc.com  | torn apart by something as simple
                       |                | as wild dogs.
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: drk@zebra.mitre.org (David Kalagher)
Subject:  Williams Fire!
Reply-To: dkalaghe@mitre.org
Organization: The MITRE Corporation, McLean, Va
Date: Tue, 18 Aug 1992 17:22:03 GMT


I have a line on a Wms. Fire (1987) that is being scrapped for parts
but I think can be saved with some work.  The backglass is missing
as well as the flippers.  A few playfield plastics are either broken on
missing.  The playfield itself appears to be in good shape.  All the
boards appear intact.  The current owner bought it and several other older
machines from a vending company that was going out of business.  He
does not think it is worth fixing.  He buys machines in bulk and tries
to do the minimum to get them turned around and out the door with a
profit.  That minimum does not include finding new backglasses (cuts too
much into that profit margin!).

I want to know what you think of this game?  There is a picture of it
on page 91 of Lure of the Silverball.  Is it a good playing desirable game?
Anyone have schematics/manual for it?

I can get the backglass insert from Mayfair ($50) and have a piece of glass
cut.  I am a true novice at repairing these things and my budget can't
afford a recent game (<5 years old) to keep my other machine company.
I'm willing to take a chance on fixing it for a hundred or two.  I haven't
made an offer yet and the parts in it may be worth more to him for other
machines repairs.  Is it worth it?

Thanks

Dave
dkalaghe@mitre.org
From: oday@lobster.gsfc.nasa.gov (Orin Day)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Re: Nuclear meltdowns (Simpsons)
Date: 21 Aug 92 19:23:31 GMT
Reply-To: oday@lobster.gsfc.nasa.gov  (Orin Day)
Organization: Goddard Space Flight Center

In article <19659@fritz.filenet.com> ung@felix.filenet.com (Bill Ung) writes:
> In article <1992Aug17.194235.7413@nsisrv.gsfc.nasa.gov>  
oday@lobster.gsfc.nasa.gov  (Orin Day) writes:
> |
> |A couple weeks ago I had a bizarre shot on "The Simpsons" - a machine
> |I don't really like, but am willing to play while waiting for TAF
> |because it is only 25 cents - T2 is 50/75/1.00, and Hook is, well, Hook.
> 
> Yeah, I noticed at least one "Simpsons" go to 25 cents around here too.
> 
> |Anyway, they had just revitalized the Solid Spray flippers so that
> |they had a good deal of power, and I managed to pop a ball on top
> |of one of the bumpers (the red plastic nuclear cooling tower was gone).
> 
> Ya know, the last two "Simpsons" I've seen are also misisng one of
> the red plastic nuclear cooling towers.  Bad design?  Planned obsolecence?
> Core meltdown?  Or did Bart steal it?  :-)

At least on our Simpson's, which doesn't have a great degree of slant
to it, it's possible to hit the glass from the flippers - it can become
a very three-dimensional game (exclusive of ramps) when it's like this,
especially when you power it into the bowling pin drop target.  It's 
still the most annoying arcade game since "Super Basketball" though.

"I guess we're both underachievers!"  -  Bart  - has led to many
snappish comebacks, especially on the last ball.  It's a great
theme, but it's Data East, so what can I expect?  "Hit the
transporter!"  "Shoot the Flugenheim!"   "I Can Fly!"  Maybe the
next DataEast innovation will be a mute button!

BTW, a TAF demo I saw up in Baltimore last week was plastered with
"Bally - Pinball Made In America" stickers - an obvious swipe at
you know who...

Orin

> Bill Ung
>   ung@filenet.com

--
**** "Where's the Men's Room?  You're soaking in it!" - MST3K ****
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: ung@felix.filenet.com (Bill Ung)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Re: Promo Stuff in new machines
Keywords: Promo Goodies
Date: 19 Aug 92 20:02:32 GMT
Reply-To: ung@fritz.filenet.com (Bill Ung)
Organization: FileNet Corp., Costa Mesa, CA

In article <6572@tekig7.PEN.TEK.COM> jerryc@tekig7.PEN.TEK.COM (Jerry C Carathers) writes:
|In article <46465@shamash.cdc.com> sjc@hare.udev.cdc.com (Steven J Craig) writes:
||Hey,  can some of you who have recently puchased some of the
||newer machines let us in on what the promo piece was in the
||box (if any)?
||
||Jerry:  What was the TAF free-bee?
||
||Regards,
||   -Steve
|
|Was there a feebie in TAF??? I don't recall finding one. Maybe it's in the
|game. I've never even taken my manual out of the manila envelope. I think I
|was too excited to play it than to rummage for freebies :^).

The HIGH SPEED freebie I found was in the manilla envelope.  Take a peek
when you get home.

|I do have a promo matchbox 007 car from Secret Service, bumper stickers that
|say, I (heart) Cyclone Pinball, a BK2000 keychain, a Hook keychain, a
|Jokerz keychain, and several "HAVE YOU PLAYED A WILLIAMS PINBALL TODAY?"
|bumper stickers.

Hmmm, with all the pins that went out, howcome there aren't tons of this
promo stuff laying around?  I figure most arcades could care what comes
in those packets, outside of the scorecards.  Most of them don't bother
with the manual much either.  Is there a place where you can buy these
promo items?  The reason I ask is a friend of mine is heavily into JOKERZ
and I'm sure he'd love a keychain.  Willing to sell, Jerry?

Bill Ung
  ung@filenet.com
From: sbb@panix.com (Steve Baumgarten)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Re: Houston
Date: 18 Aug 92 00:31:31 GMT
Organization: PANIX Public Access Unix, NYC

In article <1992Aug17.072442.23645@menudo.uh.edu> cavers@menudo.uh.edu (Chris M. Cavers) writes:

   Anyone have a list/description of decent places to play pins 
   in Houston, Texas?

Don't know of any offhand, but if you're planning on being down there
this week, be sure to only play games that promote family values...

ELVIRA is *definitely* out...

:-)

--
    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: grover@vulcan1.edsg.hac.com (Dean Grover)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Re: Hightest Thing Multiball score.
Date: 18 Aug 92 21:11:12 GMT
Article-I.D.: hacgate.22938
Reply-To: grover@vulcan1.edsg.hac.com
Organization: Hughes Aircraft Co., El Segundo, CA

In article 27266@peponi.wcc.govt.nz, coutinho_b@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz () writes:
> I want to know what the highest score possible is from "thing" multiball
> when the mansion room is collected from the Electric Chair. I managed
> to get the ball straight to thing from the EC kickout--->left flipper---->
> skill shot hole (off the top right skirting) and score a 14,0XX,XXX 
> multiball. Is this the highest possible in normal play ?
> 

Hmm.  I was also able to score 14,0XX,XXX by letting the ball bounce off the
left flipper onto the right, and flinging it to the skill shot hole without
catching it.  

Anyone know how much the Thing bonus decrements ?  It looks like a really random
amount.  I'd think it was nearly impossible to get more than 14.5M without spotting
the mansion room from the bear kicks.

Dean
---
//////////////////////////////////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Dean Grover                            Mappy - The ultimate game of cat
Hughes Aircraft Company                        and mouse
adgrover@hac2arpa.hac.com or grover@vulcan1.edsg.hac.com
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Hightest Thing Multiball score.
From: coutinho_b@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz
Date: Mon, 17 Aug 1992 21:39:39 GMT
Reply-To: coutinho_b@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz
Organization: Wellington City Council, Wgtn, NZ

I want to know what the highest score possible is from "thing" multiball
when the mansion room is collected from the Electric Chair. I managed
to get the ball straight to thing from the EC kickout--->left flipper---->
skill shot hole (off the top right skirting) and score a 14,0XX,XXX 
multiball. Is this the highest possible in normal play ?

BTW- its good to see other pins being discussed on this group, otherwise
	we'd have to rename it to rec.games.binball.taf
	;-)

-------------- / / /-----------------------  /~~~\  -----------  O      |~|  T
   \ \ \      / / / "Simply the BEST!.."    |  n  |             /\_     |_|  I
Brian Coutinho / /           - Tina Turner  |  U  | U E E N    /\ ;====== |  L
coutinho_b@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz                \___,\           / / |~~~~~~~l  T
===== \ \ \/ / /  ============================================================
From: joanne@hpcc01.corp.hp.com (Joanne Petersen)
Date: Tue, 18 Aug 1992 16:10:37 GMT
Subject: Pinball machine repair in San Francisco area
Organization: Hewlett-Packard PAITC Data Center
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball

Those who do not live in the San Francisco bay area can skip this posting
-- sorry, my posting program doesn't allow me to limit the distribution.
_________________________________________________________________________

   Saw an ad in the Sunday Chronicle/Examiner...

Pinball Machines, 100% warranty, Free delivery, 510/653-9100

I called and spoke to Tom Johnson. He is the new owner of Gametown USA.
They're located at 5245 College Ave at Broadway in Oakland. They are part
of TILT Electronics which does pinball service. (That's in Martinez at
510/933-TILT, (Chris)) Anyway, the deal is they have some games for sale,
but they deliver to the home and will come out and repair any problem for
free for 6 months. The games are completely reconditioned, in some cases,
they even do board touch-up, so that's why they are a bit pricy.  For
example he has Millionaire and F-14 Tomcat available for $850 apiece.
He can get a 8-Ball Delux for the same price and a COMET for $950.

You might want to call them up for a service call someday, so hang
on to that 933-TILT number....
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: S_TITZ@iravcl.ira.uka.de (Olaf Titz)
Subject: Re: inflated scores hit the mainstream
Organization: Fachschaft Informatik, Uni Karlsruhe
Date: Fri, 21 Aug 1992 08:43:57 GMT
X-News-Reader: VMS NEWS 1.23

In <REMY.92Aug18232620@sun475a.ccs.northeastern.edu> remy@sun475a.ccs.northeastern.edu writes:

...
>  Well, turns out I was right - getting bizarrely huge scores *is*
>  the goal, after all.  I offer as proof the contents of an advertisement
>  I saw in "Video Games and Computer Entertainment" (which I, ahem,
>  read while waiting for my wife at the grocery store).  The ad was for
>  Dragon's Fury, a video pinball game made by Tengen.  Of the three 
>  hilighted points about this game (and therefore most important
>  things about it), the second was:  
>    Score *hundreds* *of* *millions* of points!
>  
>  And this was for a video game system, where, as everyone knows,
>  points are scarce.  (choke)  Clearly, this marks a trend in 
>  mainstream gaming.  We should quit complaining and get with it.

We should not.

Now that we are not scoring mere hundreds of millions, but getting a
BILLION shot on some pins (eg. THE MACHINE), where 2-3 years ago the
ability to score more than 1 time in a row 1 million (WHIRLWIND) was
the latest fashion, we should worry where this exponential increase
ever will end. Maybe it is the LED display manufacturers who are
pressing for ever higher scores...
[sarcasm off]

Some time ago, I saw a pin where the last digit of the mechanical (!)
score display was no real display digit, but a zero *painted on the
backglass*. On the latest pins the smallest score seems to be 50 or
100. Can someone tell what this is good for?

Maybe it is just that: 'on this new machine, you are able to score x
at one shot [with x a strict monotonic increasing function of time]
and are therefore able to increase your personal highscore every time
a new model comes out' - everyone loves to 'get better all the time',
and this supply is (again) just a function of demand.

But, with the billion shot finally around (and the 'ordinary' best
shot on the same machine still at 1 million), highscores get more and
more meaningless. And, if you say, 'I got a highscore of 6 million...'
you'll get interrupted by 'what? ridiculous... there are billions...'
just before you can complete your sentence: '...on EIGHT BALL DELUXE.'
(no that wasn't me to score 6 million on 8BD, unfortunately :-)

We really should put an end to the high numbers craze and
re-concentrate on the values associated with it. (A good hint is the
replay score...)
Unfortunately most people seem not to think the same.

MfG,
        Olaf
-- 
Olaf Titz - comp.sc.student - Univ of Karlsruhe - s_titz@iravcl.ira.uka.de -
uknf@dkauni2.bitnet - praetorius@irc - +49-721-60439 - did i forget something?
What high-level language should one use for system programming? The only
 reasonable candidate today is PL/I. - Fred Brooks (1975)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball