HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: sao@athena.mit.edu (Andy Oakland)
Subject: Re: Bugs Bunny
Organization: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Date: Thu, 15 Oct 1992 19:54:04 GMT

In article <13910032@hpnmdla.sr.hp.com> pazar@hpnmdla.sr.hp.com (Steve Pazar) writes:
>Dave,
>  This must be a new game, I can't find it in LURE OF THE SILVER BALL.
>  I'd be interested in getting some details; who makes it, is it based
>  on Bugs (the real one, or a cheap imitation), how is the play and 
>  artwork. I've got a friend who wants a pin based on cartoon
>  characters (not super heros).

First the good news:  Bugs Bunny's Birthday Bash is indeed based on the
real Bugs Bunny (licensed from Warner Brothers), and the sound and artwork
is perfectly acceptable.  It's a recent Williams/Bally machine (1991?)

Now the bad news:  It has, arguably, the worst gameplay of any machine
ever put out by a major label.  Rules are obscure.  Shots are impossible
to make.  Scoring is massively lopsided.   Playing it is a regrettable
ordeal in intestinal fortitude.

I'd rather play The Simpsons.

	:Andy Oakland
	sao@athena.mit.edu
From: nrp@csug3.cs.reading.ac.uk ("Mischievous bee will-o'-the-wisps" Neilski)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Re: Fun with TAF
Date: 15 Oct 92 08:51:19 GMT
Reply-To: nrp@csug.cs.reading.ac.uk
Organization: University of Reading

ung@felix.filenet.com (Bill Ung) writes:

>In article <nrp.718378144@reading| nrp@csug.cs.reading.ac.uk writes:
>|Oh joy!  Oh bliss!  TAF here is sort of not working again!
>|
>|Late last week the left lower flipper packed up (I still managed 60M off
>|five balls though.)  The guy who repaired it must have had an off day
>|because there are now FOUR balls in the machine.  So you have to fire a

>How'd he get FOUR balls into the machine?  Did one get stuck, er, lost, and
>he just threw in a new one?  I tried that with my HIGH SPEED once, the game
>went berserk!! (pun not intended on a different thread)  With three balls
>in the trough and one in the outhole, the outhole switch/kicker kept seeing
>a ball there and tried to knock it into the trough.  It would slam into the

That's exactly what happened.  He managed to get another one in there
anyway (I think one was stuck in the swamp, so he replaced it and then
fixed the swamp).  Luckily kicking a ball out only made it land above the
one already there, but it made getting just one ball in play difficult.
Mind you, having the extra ball at the plunger was nice - I got Cousin It
and Mamushka going at the same time and fired the second ball into the
graveyard for a total of 50M bonus!

>|Oh yes, and Thing doesn't work either.

>Hmmm, so how does the game compensate for this?  Just kick it out to the
>upper right flipper?

Yes.  You have to lock all balls in the vault (or swamp if it's lit - this
is a 5-ball game) which is nearly impossible on this machine.  You still
get T-H-I-N-G bonus though.  But I'm told that it should be fixed by now -
and with any luck he'll add the Thing Flips/5x Graveyard sensor which he
took out 2 days after the machine arrived :-(

-- neilski
i've never heard "well played, thing"

-- 
nrp@csug.cs.reading.ac.uk  \--------------------------------------------------
----------------------------\ Woke up this morning, out of bed I leaped,
Banged my head on the ceiling and I went straight back to sleep...   -- Dylan
From: dyke@oxford.DAB.GE.COM (Erick Dyke)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Re: Strange Pinball (was Re: HUGE pinball)
Date: 9 Oct 92 12:27:57 GMT
Organization: GE Simulation & Control Systems

Those directions describe the Fun Machine Arcade on Colonial Ave.

I remember seeing that machine there, but I never played it.
I think it was there as of 2 months ago.

-- 
-------
Erick S. Dyke -- GE Simulation & Control Systems -- Daytona Beach, FL
EMail : dyke@sunny.dab.ge.com
"GE Aerospace -- We make the BEST video games in the world"
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: trebor@foretune.co.jp (Robert J Woodhead)
Subject: Re: Anyone here of SINISTAR
Keywords: SINISTAR
Organization: Foretune Co., Ltd.
Date: Thu, 8 Oct 1992 05:26:30 GMT

gbm@jmp.com (Gary McKenney) writes:

>It's been a while since I've been caught up in pinball or video game mania
>but one game I remember that I had a blast with was SINISTAR.  I would like
>to find one of these.  Anyone ever run across one.  (Circa 1982)

I owned one (from an arcade, $200) for some years, but sold it to one
of the guys moving me out of my house for $50 when I came to live to
Japan.

Nice game, quite a challenge, much fun.

-- 
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+ 
| Robert J. Woodhead, Biar Games / AnimEigo, Incs.    trebor@foretune.co.jp |
|  Fundamental Mistakes in the design of the World's User Interface, #3217  |
|                   "Elevators don't have CANCEL buttons"                   |
From: dig@pro-cynosure.cts.com (Doug Granzow)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Re: What makes a game...
Date: 14 Oct 92 22:53:30 GMT
Article-I.D.: pro-cyno.je68342
Organization: ProLine [pro-cynosure]

jonke@kong.gsfc.nasa.gov (Stephen Jonke) writes:

>lose this attraction to fancy sounds soon, else pinball will go the way of
>video games -- a low cost, poorly designed machine with flashy graphics and
>sound to attract players and their money long enough to make a profit and
>then by the time they're completely bored with it (not long), you throw
>another low cost flashy machine at them and so on.  Wait a minute --
>isn't that what Data East is doing now?

Unfortunately there seems to be a bit of a trend in that direction.  But on a
well-designed game, good music and graphics add to the enjoyment.  TAF
wouldn't be the same without it's soundtrack.

One trend I would love to see stopped is the increasing appearance of "video
mode" in pinball machines.  C'mon.. if I wanted to play a video game, then
I'd play a video game. So far most video modes have just been an 'added
bonus', which is okay by me. But some games (Dr. Who and Lethal Weapon 3) are
dangerously approaching making the video mode(s) an integral part of the
game, which means you can't ignore it. And to me, that's wrong.

>Steve
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: blowfish@carina.unm.edu (rON.)
Subject: Re: What makes a game...
Date: Sun, 11 Oct 92 11:15:02 GMT
Organization: University of New Mexico, Albuquerque

In article <Bvw87x.JMn@csugrad.cs.vt.edu> kjohnson@csugrad.cs.vt.edu (Keith Johnson) writes:
>I haven't played BK2K enough (like 3 times) to know its
>soundtrack, but I certainly remeber parts of it...  "You can do it you can do
>it!"...  

BK2000 Has, by far, the coolest musical track of any pinball game. 
That chorus going Ahhh, ahhhh! With the Black Knight in the background
going Ha, ha, ha! and No way! Too damn cool.
TAF has the best voice noises, with Funhouse a real close second :)

r.
From: ec@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM (Edgar Circenis)
Date: Fri, 9 Oct 1992 13:44:05 GMT
Subject: Re: Where to find PLASTIC WOOD?
Organization: Hewlett-Packard, Fort Collins, CO, USA
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball

> |>I've bought "Plastic wood", and I've bought "Bondo".  Besides the color
> |>difference, is there any other?
> 
> Big time...  Bondo is a polymer based putty that uses a mixture of chemicals
> similiar to epoxy to form a hardened substance.  The putty itself will stay
> in a liquid form virtually forever until it is mixed with the hardener.  At
> this point, it begins to get hotter than hell until it gels over and
> solidifies.  Now plastic wood on the other hand, is made from cellulose - 
> just like real wood - and some other stuff.  It begins hardening shortly 
> after you remove it from the can/tube.   When it's hard, you can carve
> it like regular wood.  Bondo is more like a plastic.

Maybe we're not talking about the same "Plastic Wood".  I bought a can of
some kind of plastic wood at a Builder's Square store a few months ago to
hide nail heads in some doors I hung.  This was a two-part (just like Bondo)
mixture that could be sanded, drilled, carved, etc.  The only difference
was that instead of being pink, it was grey.  IMHO, it was worlds better
than the old-style wood putty that begins to harden when you take it out
of the can (which usually hardens or becomes unworkable in seconds).

Edgar
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: LIPSCOJA@ctrvax.vanderbilt.edu (Andy Lipscomb)
Subject: Terrible game
Organization: Vanderbilt University 
Date: Wed, 7 Oct 1992 06:27:17 GMT
X-News-Reader: VMS NEWS 1.21

     Here in Nashville, TN, we have one of the worst TAF machines I've ever
seen (if you're in town, it's the one at Rivergate).

   (1) 2-4-6 tokens, not 2-3-4
   (2) Train Wrecks start at 3
   (3) Lousy flippers (never hit a Mansion room, and usually came back down
bear-kick ramp)
   (4) Skill shot impossible (always overshoots)
   (5) Starts at T-h-i-n-g instead of T-H-I-n-g

     Fortunately, they didn't seem to have figured out how to tamper with the
self-adjusting replay; it was at 20 million(!)
     Can anyone top that?

Andy Lipscomb
lipscoja@ctrvax.vanderbilt.edu
Mt. Juliet Capulets--Ultra Cricket
From: blowfish@carina.unm.edu (rON.)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Re: Where to find PLASTIC WOOD?
Date: 14 Oct 92 04:32:16 GMT
Organization: University of New Mexico, Albuquerque

In article <1992Oct14.003905.22252@ncsu.edu> bcasper@eos.ncsu.edu writes:
>We are definately talking about a pair of different substances.  The stuff
>I use comes in a red can with yellow lettering and the brand name is
>"Plastic Wood".   It is exactly like the old-style wood putty that begins to
>harden when you take it out of the can.  The key is that it is cellulose
>based which means that when it's dry, it's just like real wood.  Bondo and 
>other stuff like it is more like a resin or a plastic.  I don't know which
>is better, but I've had great results with PW...

Much depends on what you're doing. If your filling old holes in your wall or
something, then a resin/plastic based filler like Bondo is just fine. If you're
doing any sort of forming work, then I would use a cellulose based filler like
Plastic Wood.

The difference, between the two, is that Bondo and the like are good for
filling holes for later re-drilling, especially if you fill a hole with
Bondo and a, hell, I forget what they are called, but one of those pre-
formed screw holes. Bondo is NOT good for doing form work on, say, gashes
or cracks or splits. Why? Bondo can shrink, I've seen it expand once, too.
Thats not a Good Thing when working on wood. Also, Bondo is notoriously
difficult to clean off- it hardens very well :)

A Cellulose based filler, like Plastic Wood doesn't have the strength to fill
big drill holes, but it excellent for filling cracks, gouges, small holes,
pits, splits, etc. Its like 'real' wood in the way it acts when it dries- it
doesn't shrink all that bad, and is really fairly easy to clean off- though
you have to use sandpaper.

The other big difference between Bondo and PW is that PW takes paints and stuff
>much< better than Bondo. Bondo does take some stains, but tends to darken,
so you have a noticable spot. HomeHelperHint(TM) :) - If you're filling a big
hole in a visible area that you need to re-paint, fill the hole with Bondo up
to about 1/4" of the top, and finish it off with PW. This works much better 
with wide holes than with skinny holes, because the PW bonds to the wood, not
the Bondo, so if you fill a skinny hole with a Bondo/PW blend, you are risking
having the PW part pop out of the hole. In those cases, where its a deep hole,
but skinny, use less bondo (down to even 1/2" from the top) and more PW.

Any other questions? :)
(btw- I used to do construction stuff, including finishing work, which is how
I know all this :)
r.
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: bhayes@Xenon.Stanford.EDU (Barry Hayes)
Subject: Re: Fish Tales: Insert Coin to Continue?
Organization: Computer Science Department, Stanford University.
Date: Sun, 11 Oct 1992 18:59:26 GMT

In article <ja81652@pro-cynosure.cts.com> dig@pro-cynosure.cts.com (Doug Granzow) writes:
>It was neat watching this person install Dr. Who [...]
>You can select [...] match percentage

Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: dkelly@news.weeg.uiowa.edu (Dave Kelly)
Subject: WANTED:  Info on Party Zone by Bally...
Organization: University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
Date: Fri, 16 Oct 1992 07:38:13 GMT

Please post in this newsgroup info/tips/tricks/opinions about the game
"Party Zone" by Bally.  Thanx.
From: coutinho_b@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: TAF - QUick multiball - BUG ?
Date: 14 Oct 1992 10:56:07 GMT
Organization: Wellington City Council (Public Access), Wgtn, Nz
Reply-To: coutinho_b@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz
NNTP-Posting-Host: kosmos.wcc.govt.nz

I was play TAF (what else ;)  and got the Tunnel Hunt. Now, I got the
first tunnel in the vault, then I spotted a Quick Multi-ball.
Now, the Vault door did not open to allow me to shoot for the Vault-millions
for the quick multiball. Is this *right*?
I had to wait for the tunnel hunt to time out I presume?? (I lost the
ball in play before this happened)

Can anyone shed some light to this?

BC

-------------- / / /-----------------------  /~~~\  -----------  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: bbs-garfield@jwt.UUCP (David Eison)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Re: What makes a game...
Date: 15 Oct 92 00:35:28 GMT
Reply-To: bbs-garfield@jwt.UUCP
Organization: The Matrix

mike@kingpin.demon.co.uk (Mike Parkins) writes:

> One idea is to have headphone jacks on the front but my idea is better...
> With a tiny microphone fitted, the machine would sample the prevailing
> sound level in the room between games and 'self-percentage' it's volume
> level accordingly, in the same way that replay scores can adjust them-
> selves automatically.

Too expensive.  It wouldn't be THAT expensive, but the companies wouldn't 
bother, and claim it's due to the expense.. (The R&D would be a pain, it 
would be one MORE thing to fix/replace, and many operators would just 
disable it.)  I prefer the headphone jack idea.  It's been used on a few 
arcade games, but no one knew about the jack/used the jack.  Pinball 
players are usually more dedicated, though... I wouldn't mind bringing 
headphones to an arcade to play Pinball.  (Actually, the operator COULD 
modify the machine to use headphones (Well, they SHOULD be able to. <G>) 
if they REALLY wanted to, and are good with electronics..)

> Well...I can dream, can't I?

Yes, but it's not NEARLY as much fun as doing.... bug your operator or 
offer to install the jack yourself.... <GRIN>

---
David Eison - Garfield           bbs-garfield@jwt.uucp
I'm not writing a message.  These words are just here to take up space.
From: xor@clotho.acm.rpi.edu (Joe Schwartz)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball,alt.flame.spelling
Subject: Re: Layout/Pinball sexism?
Keywords: (re)post?
Date: 14 Oct 92 01:46:05 GMT
Followup-To: alt.flame.spelling
Organization: The Voice of Fate

In article <ortman.719001419@cwis> ortman@cwis.unomaha.edu (Kevin Ortman) writes:
>Yeah, but you didn't even mention the fact that the cops in the game are
>hanging out at the dognut shop....

Dognuts?  Is THAT what those Dunkin Munchkins really are?  :-)
-- 
Joe Schwartz (xor@acm.rpi.edu)
From: fzchen@othello.ucdavis.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Re: Fish Tales in the Bay Area?
Date: 11 Oct 92 05:25:40 GMT
Distribution: ba
Organization: Computing Services, UC Davis

Yes it has.  There's a 7-11 in Mountain View that has it.  I walked in
the other day and was quite dissapointed to see that Getaway had gotten 
away, but this game is pretty cool.  I don't know if it by design, but
this particular machine is really loose.  You can really bang it around but
touch seems very important (sort of like playing a fish I guess). 

I don't quite understand everything yet.  It anyone can give hints please 
e-mail.

-MeatHead
From: kak1@cypress31.cray.com (Kevin Kramer)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Re: Fish Tales: Insert Coin to Continue?
Date: 12 Oct 92 19:45:50 GMT
Organization: Cray Research, Inc.
Originator: kak1@cypress31


In article <1992Oct11.201334.927@CSD-NewsHost.Stanford.EDU>, bhayes@Xenon.Stanford.EDU (Barry Hayes) writes:
> In article <1992Oct11.185926.29568@CSD-NewsHost.Stanford.EDU> bhayes@Xenon.Stanford.EDU (me) writes:
> >In article <ja81652@pro-cynosure.cts.com> dig@pro-cynosure.cts.com (Doug Granzow) writes:
> >>It was neat watching this person install Dr. Who [...]
> >>You can select [...] match percentage
> >
> 
> Whoops.  I thought I added a query:
> Does this happen a lot?  The operators jimmy the odds on the match
> away from 1/10?  What are tipical settings?

Me and my friend got a triple match the other day, I don't think that I have ever had
that happen before.  Has anyone ever got a 4 credit match?
From: sbb@panix.com (Steve Baumgarten)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Re: Stern games (was Re: Strange Pi
Date: 13 Oct 92 15:57:17 GMT
Article-I.D.: panix.SBB.92Oct13105717
Organization: PANIX Public Access Unix, NYC

In article <1205467298@trsvax> terryt@trsvax.tandy.com writes:

   I have not thought about that game in a long time.  It was one of
   my favorites.  Along with Williams' Robotron.  With the double
   joysticks, one for movement and one for shooting direction.

And even with all the digitized-ninja, polygon-shaded, 3-D,
virtual-reality games out there, it *still* gets a lot of play at
Broadway, where it's been on site now for over a decade.

Simple to understand, requires real skill (not memorization skills) to
master, gives you a fair play for your quarter.  And of course, the
winning twin concepts of total anarchy, plus the goal of killing
everything in sight.  It doesn't get much better than that...

(BTW, consider how many classic Williams games were variations on this
theme.  Now consider how few current games are, and I think you'll see
how and why the video game industry has gotten itself stuck in a very
uninteresting rut.  Profitable, true.  But terribly uninteresting, at
least to this old-timer.)

We now return you to our regularly scheduled pinball discussion,
already in progress...   :-)

--
    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
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: reb@Ingres.COM (Phydeaux)
Subject: Re: Pinball Expo. 92
Keywords: Expo
Reply-To: reb@Ingres.COM (Phydeaux)
Organization: E 4th St Home For The Overeducated Underemployed - Chicago Div.
Date: 16 Oct 92 06:52:35 GMT

In article <Bw6AEC.1vM@chinet.chi.il.us> koziarz@chinet.chi.il.us (Louis Koziarz) writes:
>>Any suggestions on which day we ought to do?
>
>I finally got my registration flyer, it's gonna be a tough call on which
>day to go to if you can only do one day.  Thursday has the factory tour,
>but Friday has more lectures and panels.  Saturday is the auction.  I'm
>gonna use one sick day, but I'm not sure which day to use yet.  Hmmm...



Hmm...  which factory  is the tour  of?  Sounds like  it's  tike to be
'sick' ...  How much does this puppy cost to get  in to?  I don't have
any registration info ... but I work in  Rosemont so it's not  too far
out of my way...

reb
From: nrp@csug3.cs.reading.ac.uk ("Mischievous bee will-o'-the-wisps" Neilski)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Re: TAF
Date: 15 Oct 92 08:48:16 GMT
Reply-To: nrp@csug.cs.reading.ac.uk
Organization: University of Reading

burnside_br@lrc.edu writes:

>In article <1992Oct12.182052.994@menudo.uh.edu>, cavers@menudo.uh.edu (Chris M. Cavers) writes:
>>> 
>> Someone here should pass this along to the taf makers to see if they can
>> figure out some way to protect the machine from such abuse.


>Why? Nothing like a little free pinball!  Lighten up and get in a few freebees 
>yourself before they fix it.  And trust me, they will...

Not here!  The TAF has practically NO tilt.  Well, actually, there is one,
but I only got it by lifting the machine up (to try and save a draining
ball) and someone else got one by shaking it to try and stop a ball going
down the side - he must have hit the resonant frequency of the sensor!

But seriously - I'm 2nd best on our TAF and if they actually get the tilt
fixed I ought to be 1st.  So I keep bugging them even though I shove it
everywhere!

-- neilski

-- 
nrp@csug.cs.reading.ac.uk  \--------------------------------------------------
----------------------------\ Woke up this morning, out of bed I leaped,
Banged my head on the ceiling and I went straight back to sleep...   -- Dylan
From: ung@felix.filenet.com (Bill Ung)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Re: Pinball Expo. 92
Keywords: Expo
Date: 14 Oct 92 19:24:29 GMT
Article-I.D.: fritz.20476
Reply-To: ung@fritz.filenet.com (Bill Ung)
Organization: FileNet Corp., Costa Mesa, CA

In article <48484@shamash.cdc.com> sjc@hare.udev.cdc.com (Steven J Craig) writes:
|Last year I went to the Pinball Expo. and didn't get to meet
|hardly anyone from the net (except Mr. Pinball Trader himself B-)
|
|I am interested in who would like to meet for an informal gathering
|this year at the Expo?  Maybe drinks?   Maybe dinner?  
|
|Maybe an arcade?  ;-)
|
|Let me know what you think.

I'd love to, actually, but I'm not even sure if I'm going yet.  If I
do, I'll be bringing a friend and he isn't too keen on shelling out
$60.00 for the Expo alone.  We might spend $20 and do only one day.
Any suggestions on which day we ought to do?

Also, I live in Southern California, near Los Angeles.  Are there any
special "deals" on getting out to this Expo, or just shop around for
airfare rates?  What about hotel accomodations?  And special deals for
that?

My making it out there is still rather iffy, but if I make it, I'll
definately want to meet a lot of you guys.  Let me know if/when there
will be a group gathering.  Dinner sounds cool, save the arcade for
desert :-)

Bill Ung
  ung@filenet.com