HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: dpettit@javelin.sim.es.com (Daina Pettit)
Subject: Re: Pinball Auction Summary
Keywords: pinball auction sale money
Organization: Evans & Sutherland Computer Corporation
Date: Wed, 9 Sep 1992 20:22:50 GMT

In article <1992Sep8.181854.370@cbnewsd.cb.att.com> knudsen@cbnewsd.cb.att.com (michael.j.knudsen) writes:
>In article <1992Sep4.224213.10585@javelin.sim.es.com>, dpettit@javelin.sim.es.com (Daina Pettit) writes:
>
>> Here's what my comprehensive pinlist says which machines have
>> moving/swinging targets.  
>
>Wow, this must be some list -- xref'ed by features even!
>Daina, didn't you once say this was available on request?
>If so, please consider it requested.
>If there's a fee, consider it in the mail upon request.
>--mike k
>-- 
>	"I don't think so, Al"
>  Programmers Do It on paper.  So do puppies.
>	knudsen@iexist.att.com

Here's the scoop.

I have a comprehensive flipper pinball machine list that contains > 1300
machines, from 1947 to today.  The list is sorted alphabetically by machine
name.  Each machine has listed the manufacturer, manufacture date, # of
players, and features.  The features include things like Electronic,
Electromechanical, spinner, kick back, free ball gate, drop targets,
multi-level, multi-ball, magna-save, roulette wheel, swinging target, lane
change, ramps, up post, add-a-ball, voice, wide body, zipper flippers, and
more.  It also notes which book (of the 3 in print) mentions the machine or
has a photo.  I also have another list containing the same info sorted
chronologically by manufacturer.   Neither list is xref'ed by features, but
picking out what machines have a particular feature is fairly easy.  If
there is enough demand I could easily create a features cross reference.
The price is $10.00 for one list, or $15.00 for both.  If anyone is
interested send me email.

-- 
  Daina Pettit  (801) 582-5847  dpettit@spiff.sim.es.com   
  Evans & Sutherland  600 Komas Drive, SLC, UT  84108
From: kjohnson@csugrad.cs.vt.edu (Keith Johnson)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Re: Captain Fantastic: Classic or junk?
Date: 6 Sep 92 08:55:38 GMT
Organization: Virginia Tech Computer Science Dept, Blacksburg, VA

Well, there certainly are a number of games that have backglasses that refer
to other things...  Like Hurricane has a picture of a guy near the front of
the revolving wheel roller coaster wearing a t-shirt that says "Cyclone" on
it.  (Not a big shocker there.)  And of course Fun House has many references
to Whirlwind, like a banner advertising "Ride the Whirlwind" and the fact
that Rudy was dug up in Kansas (pretty much where Whirlwind takes place).
Near the upper-right of the playfield there's also an Interstate sign (I
forget the number offhand, but I assume there's some purpose for it being
there).  AND, in HSII, one of the helicopters on the glass has a serial #
on it beginning with XAQ.  I wouldn't think anything of it, except that XAQ
is one of the more common sets of initials on Williams games' default high
scores.  It's certainly one of the default initials on HSII, and I think it
is the default champion score initials on T2.  Probably some others that I
can't think of offhand.

keith
-- 
|kjohnson@csugrad.cs.vt.edu|\\\XXXXX///|"The players tried to take the field, |
|.....Keith P. Johnson.....| \XXXXXXX/ | The marching band refused to yield.  |
|.1711 Whipple Dr. Apt. 11.| /XXXXXXX\ | Do you recall what was revealed      |
|...Blacksburg, VA 24060...|///XXXXX\\\| The day the music died?" -Don MacLean|
From: jrt@gap.Eng.Sun.COM (Joel Tornatore)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: TAF special
Date: 10 Sep 1992 18:28:08 GMT
Organization: Sun Microsystems
Distribution: world
Reply-To: jrt@gap.Eng.Sun.COM
NNTP-Posting-Host: gap.eng.sun.com


How do you light the special???
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: dpettit@javelin.sim.es.com (Daina Pettit)
Subject: Re: Captain Fantastic: Classic or junk?
Organization: Evans & Sutherland Computer Corporation
Date: Sat, 5 Sep 1992 17:36:43 GMT

In article <13910028@hpnmdla.sr.hp.com> pazar@hpnmdla.sr.hp.com (Steve Pazar) writes:
>Al,
>   Just as a reference point one sold in this area a few months ago
>   for $400. Similar condition as what you've described. I've heard
>   of these sucker going for as much as $1,000 though. Also beware...
>   there is the arcade version and the "home" version. The home version
>   IS junk. If your unit has a coin slot, its the real thing. Hope
>   this helps some.

A while back this group discussed some of this.  If I recall correctly the
home version is called Captain Fantastic and the arcade verison is called
Capt. Fantastic.  Nowhere on the arcade version is Capt. spelled out.  It
is always abbreviated.

One sold here last year for $200.  
-- 
  Daina Pettit  (801) 582-5847  dpettit@spiff.sim.es.com   
  Evans & Sutherland  600 Komas Drive, SLC, UT  84108
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: Steve@klaatu.demon.co.uk (Steve Loft)
ReplyTo: Steve@klaatu.demon.co.uk
Subject: Re: Weak flipper cures?
Distribution: world
X-Mailer: cppnews $Revision: 1.15 $
Organization: home
Date: Wed, 9 Sep 1992 09:04:19 +0000


In article <MICHAEL.92Sep8213118@lucrece.uk.ac.oxford> michael@uk.ac.oxford.robots (& Stevens) writes:

>Aerobatics: I afraid I've never seen it. What does it play like? and whats
>the gimic :-)

It's OK I suppose.  Not much to keep you occupied - 3 drop targets whcih
advance A-B-C-D-E for specials, 2 lanes with rotating things (sorry
about the technical terms here) which advance the bonus and score.  10x
bonus multiplier.  2 bumpers. 2 'holes' (getting technical again!).
That's about it really.  It's got electronic 'beeps' rather than bells
which rather surprised me for a 70's EM job.  Don't know what the
'gimic' is; it's got pictures of the Red Arrows all over it, but there
aren't really any novel features in the actual play.

>Does Aerobatics have the funny perspex flippers in a colour to match
>the game. I quite liked to look of them until one fateful day one
>exploded on me durring a game of magic castle. Certainly makes the
>game harder when one flipper is just a stub, and bits of perspex fill
>the playfield.

No, they're just white with a red rubber band around them.

>Finally (again), I just saw and played my first TAF. They seem very
>had to find here in the UK. So keep all the postings about new machine
>in the US comming, at least that way we can read about them if not
>play.

Funny, I saw my first TAF(s) at the weekend.  Not that I've had much
chance to look for one since I heard about them in this group.  We went
to Cleethorpes for the day (no, don't laugh) and I saw not one but two
TAFs in different arcades.  Didn't get chance to play as I had my
three-year-old son with me and he wouldn't stand still long enough for
me to read the instructions.  And I refuse to play unless I have some
idea of what I ought to be doing.
Purely for interest, anyone know what the prices of brand new machines
like TAF are in the UK?  Is it the usual conversion rate of 1 dollar = 1
pound?
>--

>Michael Stevens, Robotics Research Group,Dept of Engineering Science,Oxford,UK
>INTERNET: michael@robots.oxford.ac.uk
>
>

Steve
|  Steve Loft                                  steve@klaatu.demon.co.uk   |
|  Doncaster,                                                             |
|  South Yorks.                                                           |
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: yyz@cbnewsf.cb.att.com (donald.w.coons)
Subject: Re: Pinball Auction Summary
Keywords: pinball auction sale money
Organization: AT&T
Distribution: na
Date: Sat, 5 Sep 1992 01:09:09 GMT

In article <1992Sep4.224213.10585@javelin.sim.es.com> dpettit@javelin.sim.es.com (Daina Pettit) writes:
>In article <1992Sep3.231228.10493@cbnewsd.cb.att.com> knudsen@cbnewsd.cb.att.com (michael.j.knudsen) writes:
>
>Here's what my comprehensive pinlist says which machines have
>moving/swinging targets.  
>
>Black Pyramid          Bally           1984
>Contact                Williams        1978
>Mayfair                Gottlieb        1966
>Space Mission          Williams        1976
>Space Odyssey          Williams        1976
>Star Trek              Data East       1991
>Swinger                Williams        1973
>
>I suspect Fun-Fest (Williams 1973) also has a moving target, but I don't
>have a confirmation on this yet.
>
>-- 
>  Daina Pettit  (801) 582-5847  dpettit@spiff.sim.es.com   

Good post Daina, I would like to start a similiar thread on machines that 
had gates to return the ball to the plunger if it was open. I know a few
EM's in the mid 70's had this feature but the only one I can think of is
Far Out, nybody else think of any others?

Don Coons
dwc@wnb3b2.att.com

Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: kevin@modcomp.uucp (Kevin Smith)
Subject: The Getaway: Supercharger total?
Organization: MODCOMP, an AEG company
Date: Sat, 12 Sep 1992 12:50:22 GMT
Summary: How do you collect it.

How is the Supercharger total collected.  It keeps building when 4th 
gear supercharger mode is attained and the ball is being hit in the right
place but I want to know how to collect that cumulative total.

--
Kevin Smith				uunet!modcomp!glsdev!kevin
MODCOMP, an AEG company                 if (windspeed < 15)
1650 W McNab Road                         go_diving();
P.O. Box 6099			        else
Fort Lauderdale,Florida 33340-6099        go_windsurfing();
From: anstey@sun.soe.clarkson.edu (Charles Anstey)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: TAF: Can THE POWER set off the TILT?
Date: 7 Sep 92 05:13:42 GMT
Distribution: rec.games.pinball
Organization: Clarkson University, Potsdam NY

I have played two different TAF machines, both had the TILT sensitivity at
most sensitive.  A jiggle, not a bump, would automatically tilt the machine.
Anyway, on the second machine, twice during multiball, the machine tilted for
no apparent reason.  I did not even lean on the machine.  It seems as if either
THE POWER pulled the pendulum over, or if every ball is hitting lots of 
targets, the machine tilts.  A good way to keep scores low and people away
from the machine.

Just one other question. Why are there so many different operator settings?
The two machines I did play, play completely different.  For example, one
machine almost always sent the ball to the left flipper after a bear kick,
while the other almost always sends it to the right flipper.

-Charles Anstey
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: sao@athena.mit.edu (Andy Oakland)
Subject: Re: The right stuff
Summary: selectable difficulty levels
Organization: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1992 13:12:55 GMT

In article <BuBw6D.37v@usenet.ucs.indiana.edu> mdchaney@fractal.ucs.indiana.edu (M Darrin Chaney) writes:
>...I suspect that in the near future, we might be able to
>choose a certain "rule set" to play under when we walk up to a pinball
>game.  That would be interesting.

In fact, this has already happened!  I've played a game ("Blackwater
100," I believe) where each player selected a difficulty level to play
at.  Higher difficulties meant that sequences of targets were longer,
timed shots had less time, and so forth.  The payoff for selecting
a harder game was that you could get more points this way, since some
big jackpot shots were activated only at the higher levels.

I'm fuzzy on the name of the machine...I know "Blackwater" is the moto-
cross theme game which starts out in multiball mode and has a little
red/yellow/green stoplight in the upper right.  But I'm not certain
this is the one with selectable difficulty levels.  Does anyone know
for sure, and does anyone else know of games where you could select
difficulty levels?

	:Andy Oakland
	sao@athena.mit.edu
From: sjsobol@tiny.com (Steven J. Sobol)
Reply-To: sjsobol@tiny.com (Steven J. Sobol)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Distribution: world
Subject: Re: Fish Tales
Organization: The Tiny Software Company, Main Office, Cleveland, Ohio
Date: Sat,  5 Sep 92 02:55:01 

sbb@panix.com (Steve Baumgarten) writes:

>But I decided that until I watched someone else play FISH TALES, I'd
>never know what was going on.  I had the feeling that the game was
>trying to tutor me -- show me pictures, give me little lectures on the
>game's rules -- but I was too busy actually playing the game to take
>notes. 
>
>I had the same problem with LW3, though now I understand it as well as
>anyone.  But certainly I had no idea what was going on the first dozen
>times I played it, and it wasn't until I watched a really good player
>take it through its paces that I started figuring things out.
>
>When did pinball cease to be intuitive?

They just replaced my HS2 with a Fish Tales... grr. Interesting game though.

I always play a couple of games first and then read the instruction card.
For me, there is no game that isn't intuitive on a basic level (they all
work the same... hit the ball with the flippers). It's the scoring that can
be confusing.

-- 
***  **  ** | 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. 
 *  **   ** | **Welcome to Ohio, the Land of the Orange Construction Barrel**

Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: bcasper@eos.ncsu.edu (Brian Casper)
Subject: Re: Cactus Jack
Originator: bcasper@c00100-100lez.eos.ncsu.edu
Reply-To: bcasper@eos.ncsu.edu
Organization: North Carolina State University
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1992 15:23:07 GMT


nin15b0b@merrimack.edu (David E. Sheafer) writes:
|>I played Cactus Jack (Premier (c) 1991) yesterday
|>
|>This was the first time I've seen this machine, and I thought the machine had
|>absolutely no thought at all, the only thing I did like is that it had drop
|>targets, something you don't seem to often anymore.
|>
|>Does everyone else think this is a terrible machine, or am I the only one.

Oh, I dunno...  I sorta liked Cactus Jack...  It was pretty fun to play, gave
me a decent amount of playtime, and had a humorous little band of rubber
cacti in the background that made me and my girlfriend laugh alot...
There was definately some goal - to hit the fruit targets which would sling
food at the band.  Multiball was fairly easy to obtain as I recall.

-- 
-- 
Brian Casper                |   "I like to study psychologists.  It gives
bcasper@eos.ncsu.edu        |    good insight into what rats are thinking."
  Pinball Consultant        |     -  Dr. Oscar Wesler
From: larryj@countach.telcom.tek.com (Larry Johnson)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Pinball Books
Date: 8 Sep 92 16:13:33 GMT
Reply-To: larryj@countach.telcom.tek.com (Larry Johnson)
Organization: Tektronix, Inc., Beaverton,  OR.

Several times recently, I've seen requests for various books about
Pinball. I received a catalog last week which has three of the books
that people seem to be looking for. One of them, "Pinball Art", by
Keith Temple, is on sale for $19.95 (instead of the regular $25 price)
until September 30.

The three Pinball books listed in this flyer are:

1. Pinball Art by Keith Temple - Order No. B-5X -    $19.95 

2. Pinball 1 - An Illustrated Historical Guide to Pinball MAchines
Volume 1, by Richard Bueschel - Order No. R-442X - $29.95

3. Pinball - The Lure of the Silver Ball by Flower and Kurtz,
Order No. R-482X - $14.95

These books are available from: 

A.M.R. Publishing Co., P.O. Box 3007, Arlington, WA  98223
Phone 1-800-227-5103  for orders only, (206) 659-6434 for info, and
(206) 659-5994 - FAX.

Shipping charges (continental USA) are $3.50 for any number of books and
manuals. Canada and overseas shipping is $4.50

The August 1992 Flyer has lots of books on Juke Boxes, Old Radios,
Slot Machines, Player Pianos, etc.

I have no financial interest in A.M.R. Publishing - I'm only posting this
since there are occasional requests for sources for the 3 Pinball books
listed above.

Anyone have a real clean Gtb. King of Diamonds to get rid of?


Larry Johnson
K7LJ
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: bbs-garfield@jwt.UUCP (David Eison)
Subject: Re: TAF- The Power
Reply-To: bbs-garfield@jwt.UUCP
Organization: The Matrix
Date: Sat, 5 Sep 1992 19:20:33 GMT

blowfish@carina.unm.edu (rON.) writes:

> Simply put, not all right flippers are created equal. I can hit the bear-kick
> ramp probably only 10-15% of the time from the right flipper.
> r.

Ok, but I still don't get it.. I'm talking about around 5 different TAFs 
with nice and easy right flipper bear kicks... (I only know of about 5 
around here, and all have easy right flipper bear kicks...It's great!)  
Oh well.. I really love it though, because easy ramp shots that return 
the ball to the correct flipper are wonderful ways to get points.. 
(Although it CAN get boring...)  I was doing that on a roller games 
yesterday.. Right flipper->Hole that launches ball to the top right 
flipper and turns on magnet->Wall then it returned my ball Right back to 
the right flipper... (I lasted for about 45 minutes on one credit, once I 
figured out the rules, and I'd never played Rollergames before!  go 
figure... <Well, not one credit, one PAID FOR credt... <GRIN>>)

---
David Eison - Garfield           bbs-garfield@jwt.uucp
I'm not writing a message.  These words are just here to take up space.
From: nin15b0b@merrimack.edu (David E. Sheafer)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: rule sheet request: Surf N Safari
Date: 11 Sep 92 22:26:44 GMT
Organization: Merrimack College, No. Andover, MA, USA

If there is a rule sheet for Surf 'N' Safari, could someone email it to me.

thanks in advance,
-- 
David E. Sheafer

internet:  nin15b0b@merrimack.edu   or  uucp:      samsung!hubdub!nin15b0b

GEnie:     D.SHEAFER             Cleveland Freenet:    ap345
From: knudsen@cbnewsd.cb.att.com (michael.j.knudsen)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Re: Weak flipper cures?
Date: 8 Sep 92 17:58:04 GMT
Organization: AT&T

In article <715662736snx@klaatu.demon.co.uk>, Steve@klaatu.demon.co.uk (Steve Loft) writes:
> Can anyone tell me what the cause, and the cure, is for a weak flipper?

There's some stuff in the FAQ posting.  I'd say first thing is to check
that nothing is loose.  Second, take out the solenoid plunger and clean
it off with mineral spirits or alcohol.  Likewise for the inside of the
solenoid itself -- use pipe cleaners.  After that...???


> excellent condition other than the cabinet which has a bit of graffiti
> and some quite deep scratches.  Mechanically it's sound, other than the

Graffitit, carved initials, etc. can be thought of as adding "nostalgia"
and "historic auntehticity" to a machine, IMHO.  Don't try telling that
to collectors or upwardly-mobile types, tho :-)

> While I'm here, I've been reading this group for about a month now, and
> I've never seen an Italian (or non-US, come to that) machine mentioned.
> Is this because there aren't any in the States, or because they are
> looked upon as inferior?   I've seen lots of Zaccarias in the UK, but
> I'm not sure I've seen any electronic ones.  Maybe they don't make them

I've read a lot about Euro machines in the usual books (most of which are
published in the UK) and would like to see some.  But so far I think I've
seen exactly one, at Pinball Expo last year.  And I think I saw another
advertised for sale once.  But yes, they are scarce here, at least in
the central US.

I don't know whether anyone considers them inferior, but there is little
incentive to import foreign pins here.  Shipping charges must be high,
and many countries make their own mostly because their own tariff
laws make it very difficult to import US pins.
[Speaking of shipping -- from the prices quoted by Aussies and Kiwis,
someone really ought to start a pinball factory Down Under.]
-- 
	"I don't think so, Al"
  Programmers Do It on paper.  So do puppies.
	knudsen@iexist.att.com
From: etljeff@zaphod.ericsson.se (Jeff Hurst)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: 1962 Gottlieb Flipper Clown
Date: 7 Sep 92 13:10:56 GMT
Organization: Ericsson Cellular Division

Hello!
I am seeking information about an old machine.
The machine in question is from April 1962, a Gottlieb Flipper Clown.

I am looking for a manual, schemantics, information about it, 
a picture, fellow owners, anything!

I have just purchased one. It is in good condition, and when 
the glass is cleaned and the insides dusted and I can get a 
better look at it all, I think that might be upgraded to very 
good condition.

There is a problem with it though - the backglass animation has 
apparently shorted so that when it is started up, the ball fails 
to be thrown from one of the Clowns hands to the other. This 
stops the whole game from starting. It has been looked at by an 
electrician but they didn't bother to try and fix it.
Also, the bell has been disconnected, but only by unscrewing the 
dome section. It is still in the cabinet. The machine was played 
on and off up to a few months ago.

If anyone owns or knows where a machine like this - i.e. one of the 
following:
    Flipper              Gottlieb Nov. 1960  Magician Theme
    Flipper Clown        Gottlieb Apr. 1962  Circus Theme
    Flipper Cowboy       Gottlieb Jan. 1962  Old Western Theme
    Flipper Fair         Gottlieb Nov. 1961  County Fair? Theme
    Flipper Parade       Gottlieb May. 1961  Parade Theme
    Flipper Pool         Gottlieb Oct. 1965  Pool Game Theme
[ Information curtesy of dpettit@spiff.sim.es.com, and if ]
[ anyone wants to disagree with it, flame me only!!!      ]

- then please tell me all about it.

*** I am really interested in ANYTHING about these machines. ***

Please either post replies, or email me direct:
etljeff@deep-thought.ericsson.se

Many, many thanks in advance.

/Jeff.
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball