HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Ramblings...and a question....
From: matthew@oread.cc.ukans.edu
Date: 6 Nov 92 21:17:36 CST
Organization: University of Kansas Academic Computing Serces

	Well, I've had a good day!  The residence hall across the
street from where I live just got in a Bride of Pinbot...and the
things that they've done to it!  
	1. Changing the faces is totally easy; once you get to making
the Bride "see," all it does is release one ball, so by just sending
the ball up the ramp automatically nets you the Metamorphosis, and
then just releases one ball again!  Makes getting the Big Wheel to
spin a lot easier (and I got the Billionaire's Club twice and a
special once...in three individual games).
	2. Jackpots pile up rather quickly--aren't they built via the pop
bumpers?  If that's so, then I don't know what's building the jackpot,
because the pop bumpers on this pin are dead!  I shoot up to them and
I'm lucky if I get one to fire....
	In addition, does anybody know when Data East is bringing out
Tales From the Crypt?  I'm wondering what kind of nasty surprises it
holds...and I'm not talking about software bugs!  Hopefully they can
do an even better job now that they've done reasonably well with LW3
(though, there are a few places that could have been a little better,
but very few...).
	Finally, here's a question that I meant to ask a long time
ago: If one of the big pinball companies announced that they were
willing to "update" a favorite pin (pre-dot-matrix display, only
alphanumerics or before), which one would you choose?  I myself,
loving one pin in the world over all others (though having a deep
respect for the pins of the '90s), would have to choose Rollergames.
I can just imagine seeing the team names blazing across the dot-matrix
display...and what they could do when you shoot a ball up the Jetway
of the Wall of Death!  Makes me get chills....
					--Matt
-- 
Matt Chatterly             | "How'd you get hand lotion all the way up there?"
(A blatant pseudonym...)   | "I told you I spilled it...."
Matthew@oread.cc.ukans.edu |		--from _Young Lady Chatterly_
				      					
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: mark stephens <stephens@kong.gsfc.nasa.gov>
Subject: Re: Funhouse glitch
X-Xxmessage-Id: <A72420E16702EC3D@mstephens.gsfc.nasa.gov>
X-Xxdate: Mon, 9 Nov 92 14:06:25 GMT
Organization: NASA/GSFC
X-Useragent: Nuntius v1.1.1d12
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 92 19:05:04 GMT

In New Orleans, La, way back in the late '60s early '70 I remeber playing
pinball machines which returned money.  They racked up credits, just like
today, but if you pressed a button (coin return?), you got back nickels
(or dimes or quarters).  These were banned in the state and were called
'gambling pinballs'.

      mark


In article <Bx94n8.8rI@acsu.buffalo.edu> When will Mergle EVER shut up?,
v051r9bf@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu writes:
>But the two places I've seen that do not obey the law are, amazingly
enough, 
[...]
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: doom@elaine36.Stanford.EDU (Joseph Brenner)
Subject: Dr. Dude -- what gives you Super-Dude status? 
Organization: DSG, Stanford University
Distribution: rec
Date: 7 Nov 92 23:08:39


Does anyone have any idea why the machine doesn't always
give you the "Superdude" once you've hit the Excellent-Ray? 
Usually it gives it to me (and then I get to try for the
Gadzillion shot, etc), but occasionally it doesn't. 

(My tip on this game: when you send the ball into play,
ignore the count-down target, and just give it enough force
to bump it through the gate.  More often than not, I can get
it to drop straight down and catch it with the right
flipper, and even if I miss it just gives me another ball
because I haven't scored anything.  Sacrificing a few
thousand points in order to gain control of the ball is
definitely worth it...)



Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: lfs@mitre.org (Lyman F. Sheats Jr.)
Subject: Re: WMS new flippers/ credit button (was Fish Tales - bleah)
Organization: The Mitre Corp., Bedford, MA.
	<1dop4iINNfgr@transfer.stratus.com>
Date: Tue, 10 Nov 1992 17:57:53 GMT

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

>I think I'd like my old flippers back please!!!!!

Yeah.  Me too.

>I found the same to be  true of fish tales.  

Yeah.  Me too.

>black rose also has the short flippers but the game seems like it was 
>designed for them.  DWHO seems like it was designed for the longer flippers
>and then was made with the short ones.  Just my opinion at a glance.

Are you sure?  I thought the new short flippers first appeared on Fish
Tales.

--
Lyman F. Sheats Jr.
The MITRE Corporation
202 Burlington Road, Bedford MA 01730
email: lfs@mitre.org
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: hydroman@acca.nmsu.edu (Hydroman)
Subject: Request for rules.
Organization: New Mexico State University
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL6]
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1992 14:06:38 GMT

Could someone please post the rules to the following games:

Terminator 2, 
The Adams Family, and
High Speed II - The Getaway.

Regards and many thanks,

Hydroman.

   
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: ronan@ug.cs.dal.ca (brian c ronan)
Subject: High Speed II The Getaway
Organization: Math, Stats & CS, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
Distribution: na
Date: Fri, 6 Nov 1992 17:49:21 GMT

Has anybody got any reviews on High Speed II The Getaway.
I don't know how old it is but here at school it's the most popular
game...I would like to know about similar games like this.

				Brian
From: exuhag@exu.ericsson.se (James Hague)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Re: Matches (was Re: New games)
Date: 10 Nov 92 15:06:07 GMT
Reply-To: exuhag@exu.ericsson.se
Organization: Ericsson Network Systems, Richardson, TX
X-Disclaimer: This article was posted by a user at Ericsson.
              Any opinions expressed are strictly those of the
              user and not necessarily those of Ericsson.

Mark Phaedrus writes:
>
>     Actually, I don't particularly object to arcade owners turning off
>matches; though I think they're shooting themselves in the foot by removing one
>of the few chances for novice players to get a free game (and thus build 
>interest in the machine), at least it's obvious to the player what's happening.

I've noticed that many novice players don't even know what the match
sequence is for.  They walk away before they see the results or watch,
get a free game, then walk away.  Matching really is an odd concept, now
that I think about it, if you've never seen it before. 

--
James Hague   
exuhag@exu.ericsson.se
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: yyz@cbnewsf.cb.att.com (donald.w.coons)
Subject: New games
Organization: AT&T
Distribution: na
Date: Sun, 8 Nov 1992 20:13:58 GMT

In my reviews of new games there is one thing I forgot to mention. On the 
Gottlieb game, (Al's Garage Band goes on a World Tour). There was no match 
sequence. I don't know if this was intentional or not, but it would really
suck if this is going to be precedent on new games. First Williams new pricing,
now no matchs?

  Don Coons
  dwc@wnb3b2.att.com
From: mahalkdp@cnsvax.uwec.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Flipper Wear: Very odd...
Date: 10 Nov 92 19:22:52 -0600
Organization: University of Wisconsin Eau Claire

I was wondering if the gap between the flippers on pinball games is spaced
in a certain way. I am just an average guy who is starting to take some
interest in pinballs, and I noticed that on the Addams' Family game, the
little rubber band around the flipper is completely worn off at the pointed
end of the flipper. I don't really see how this could have been worn off so
quickly..
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: hagedorn@betsy.gsfc.nasa.gov (John Hagedorn)
Subject: Spirit of '76
Reply-To: hagedorn@betsy.gsfc.nasa.gov (John Hagedorn)
Organization: Goddard Space Flight Center
Date: Tue, 10 Nov 1992 14:28:34 GMT


I have just talked to someone who is selling a machine called The
Spirit of '76 (it was made for the US bicentennial).  I haven't seen 
the machine yet, but the owner says that it is in excellent condition.  
He is pitching the machine to me as a collector's item.

Does anyone know anything about this machine?  Is it, in fact, a collector's
item?  If so, what would be an appropriate price?

Thanks,

John


Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: Jarrod.Miller@launchpad.unc.edu (Jarrod Miller)
Subject: Pinball in Buffalo?
Organization: University of North Carolina Extended Bulletin Board Service
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1992 00:32:56 GMT

Since I'm going to Buffalo this weekend, I was wondering if anyone could
tell me of any good arcades in the Buffalo area.  And if you could point
me towards a High Speed (the original), I might even say that the Bills
victory over the Steelers might not have been a fluke :)

Also, are there any Surf N' Safari, Black Rose, Dr. Who machines around?

Thanks in advance,
jarrod

--
   The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the University of
     North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Campus Office for Information
        Technology, or the Experimental Bulletin Board Service.
           internet:  laUNChpad.unc.edu or 152.2.22.80
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: phillips@tegra.com (Steve Phillips)
Subject: Problem with Gottlieb "Force II" Pin
Organization: Tegra-Varityper, Inc. Billerica, MA
Date: Tue, 10 Nov 1992 20:02:28 GMT

I've got a Gottlieb Force II pinball machine (circa 1979) which is
having some problems, and I'm posting in the hope that someone who
has worked with Gottlieb pins can give me a few ideas on fixing it.

The machine was playing fine until a loose wire on the front door
(the 5V feed to the play/test switch) shorted out against the chassis.
Now, when I turn the game on, the solenoids kick as normally, but the
score displays all come on immediately, flickering at all zeros, and
the game wedges.

I found a problem with the small power supply board in the lightbox.
The 8V signal was putting out about 13V.  I replaced an 8.2V zener
diode on the board and the power supply now seems OK, but the game
still doesn't work.  Everything I could find to check in the bottom
of the game - fuses, diodes, etc. - all looked OK.

From the little documentation I have on this machine, I'm inclined to
suspect the CPU board.  However, I swapped in a working CPU (Control)
board and it did the same thing, so I've either burnt out two CPUs or
there's something else wrong with the machine.

The game has the older style CPU (the one with the 40-pin 6532s on it,
dated 1979).  I've checked the basics - supplies, clocks, data buses -
and the CPU looks like it's executing code, although I think it's in
some kind of halt loop.

If anyone has any ideas on troubleshooting this machine, I'd appreciate
it if you could email me with suggestions.

Thanks for the help...

- Steve

-- 
============================================================================
Steve Phillips                                 "Half a mind is a terrible
Tegra-Varityper, Inc., Billerica, MA            thing to waste..."
tegra!phillips@uunet.com                         - Zippy the Pinhead
From: mahalkdp@cnsvax.uwec.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: New to this newsgroup
Date: 9 Nov 92 01:38:16 GMT
Organization: University of Wisconsin Eau Claire

Hello. I have just found out about this newsgroup and have had some questions
I've always wanted to get answers to....

Can I buy or rent pinball machines for my home? I love Hook and The Addams'
Family and have always wondered if I could get my own personal game.

How is the cost figured for playing the games? Is it a 50/50 split of
the quarters spent of the game, or does the renter just pay a flat rate for
renting the machine?

Is each pinball casing built custom for a particular game, or does a pinball
manufacturer use the same type of shell of each? --Does Data East use the
same basic frame and backglass for all its games, or does it make a different
type of each of its games?

I am taking a Computer Science major.. I like playing pinball games and think
making them would be a fun job. Are there any needs for new programmers and
such?

Thanks
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: Roy Pearce
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Electro-mechanical pins for sale
Date: 10 Nov 92 00:54:19 GMT
Organization: The University of Birmingham, United Kingdom


PINS FOR SALE IN UK
*  GOTTLIEB GRID IRON 1976 (PRETTY GOOD COND.)
*  CHICAGO COIN ASTRONAUT 1969 (DISASSEMBLED PLAYFIELD; POOR CONDITION)
*  UNITED MANHATTON BINGO 1955 (FULLY WORKING)
*  ASSORTED WILLIAMS AND ZACCARIA VERY DEAD PLAYFIELDS AND LIGHT BOXES
INTERESTED?
CALL ROY PEARCE 021-783 7624 (EVES)
                021-783 3303 (ANSAPHONE)
                R.A.PEARCE@BHAM.AC.UK (INTERNET)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: sgsimon@srv.PacBell.COM (Steve Simon)
Subject: Pachinko balls
Keywords: supplies, pachinko
Organization: Pacific * Bell
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 1992 17:01:29 GMT

I recall a while ago (months?) there was a discussion about where
to order balls for a pachinko machine.  At the time I wasn't interested,
but now I find that a friend of mine has purchased a machine at a
garage sale, and needs to order balls for it.  Could someone either
post the order information again or mail it to me directly?  

Thanks in advance,

-Steve Simon
(sgsimon@pacbell.com)

-- 
------------------------------------------------------------------
Steve Simon	  					San Ramon,
Pacific*Bell						California
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: blowfish@carina.unm.edu (rON.)
Subject: Auto-plungers
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 92 07:09:10 GMT
Organization: University of New Mexico, Albuquerque


Auto-plungers suck big fat hairy rocks.
r.
From: kjohnson@csugrad.cs.vt.edu (Keefer)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Re: Auto-plungers
Date: 12 Nov 92 04:45:34 GMT
Organization: Virginia Tech Computer Science Dept, Blacksburg, VA

What about both?  I remember playing a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles pin a
year or 2 ago and I'm pretty sure that you could shoot the plunger, but
there was an auto-firing plunger there too.  Right?  I think that was a 
pretty cool idea, and wouldn't mind seeing it in more games.

keith
-- 
|kjohnson@csugrad.cs.vt.edu|"And the piano sounds like a carnival             | 
|.....Keith P. Johnson.....| And the microphone smells like a beer            |
|.1711 Whipple Dr. Apt. 11.| And they sit at the bar and put bread in my jar  |
|...Blacksburg, VA 24060...| And say "Man, what are you doing here?" -B. Joel |
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: sands@apple.com (Michael Sands)
Subject: Re: Light bulb identification
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1992 22:58:06 GMT
Organization: Apple Computer, Inc
Followup-To: rec.games.pinball

In article <7773@monmouth.edu>, ben@monmouth.edu (Bennett Broder) wrote:
> 
> In article <721506676snx@klaatu.demon.co.uk> steve@klaatu.demon.co.uk (Steve Loft) writes:
> %I'd like to identify the type of bulbs used in my newly acquired
> The #44 are 6.3 volt bulbs.  They are readily available at almost any
> I don't know about the current rating on either of these bulbs, but if
> I were you I would try to obtain the correct replacements.  If you replace
> the bulb with one that runs hotter than the original you could damage your
> game.  Both of these bulbs are used in current Williams games, so I'd be


#44's run fairly hot and often damage the plastics that are near by.  A 
common trick many of us use is to replace all 44s with 47s.  These are
lower
wattage and run cooler.  You will not burn bumper caps and the like with
the lower wattage bulb.

I also talked to an operator about how he gets his bumper lamps to stay
lit.  He uses a truck push in bulb, usually takes 12v, but in this
applicateion
will be taking 6.3v.  The bulbs last forever and seem bright enough.

Michael
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: bhayes@Xenon.Stanford.EDU (Barry Hayes)
Subject: Re: Fish Tales - bleah
Organization: Computer Science Department, Stanford University.
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 1992 21:38:48 GMT

In article <josh.721172633@mowgli> josh@cqs.washington.edu (Josh Hayes) writes:
>[...]
>The flippers are excellent for drop-catching, and as usual, for
>dead bounces as well. [...]
>[...] dead-stopped right-hand flipper backhand. It's
>not. It CAN, of course, be hit with a running backhand. [...]

Well, the FAQ has timed out at my site, but could someone write a note
for us casual players explaining some of the techniques common to
pinball-play?
Xref: sparky rec.games.pinball:5029 misc.forsale:30554
From: etljeff@porky.ericsson.se (Jeff Hurst)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball,misc.forsale
Subject: Pinball machine FOR SALE
Date: 6 Nov 92 12:54:45 GMT
Organization: Ericsson Cellular Division

Hi!
After several weeks of trying to avoid 
the inevitable, I have realised that 
I have to sell my pinball table. I don't
have any time to restore the table or
fix any faults etc.

- = *  F O R   S A L E  * = -

A 1961 Gottlieb Flipper Fair. It is in 
reasonably good condition, but is in need 
of some attention. It has not been serviced 
for some time.

The playfield is dirty but OK, the backglass 
has a small area of damage to the paintwork 
(about 1 cm square).

It has all the original original parts, 
including the ping-pong ball that the clown 
juggles inside the backglass.

I live in GUILDFORD, ENGLAND, so please be 
prepared to pay a hefty transportation bill 
if you make me an offer from the states.

All offers for exchange for a fully working 
machine will be considered. I am looking for 
a machine that takes little maintenance though!

Please e-mail any offers to:
etljeff@deep-thought.ericsson.se

Regards,
/Jeff.
From: zweldron@ruhets.rutgers.edu (Matthew Charlap)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Re: Ignorance and TAF
Date: 13 Nov 92 03:08:24 GMT
Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.

>In article <1992Nov12.002625.25482@mnemosyne.cs.du.edu> smarties@nyx.cs.du.edu () writes:
>..by the way, where I am, our common room charges 50p (that's about a dollar)
> a game for a shot at Whirlwind/Hot Chase/Party Zone. What are the comparative
> costs per credit (3 balls) for other places?

That is quite expensive. In the expensive game rooms around here (such as 
Fun 'n' Games in the Willowbrook mall, Wayne) it is $.50/3 ball-game. In 
general, the pins are $.50/.75/$1 for 1/2/3 3-ball games (occasionally one
will be $.50/5-ball game) so games average between $.10 per ball and $.17
per ball (I give the prices per ball so 3 and 5 ball machines can be compared.)
--Matthew
-- 
This is a test of the .signature 
If this were a real .sig file, something else would be here.
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: Steve Bollinger <buzz@apple.com.>
Subject: Re: Loud pinball games...
X-Useragent: Nuntius v1.1.1d12
Date: Tue, 10 Nov 1992 17:29:12 GMT
X-Xxdate: Tue, 10 Nov 92 17:30:22 GMT
X-Xxmessage-Id: <A72531AE52013847@pyd.apple.com>
Organization: Apple Computer, Inc.

In article <SBB.92Nov4215646@panix.com> Steve Baumgarten, sbb@panix.com
writes:
>One problem that's relatively new, I think: games these days tend to
>make all sorts of noise when they're in "attract" mode.  Certainly of
>the games I have at home (BK2K, TEMPEST, ROBOTRON), none make any
>noise at all if they're just sitting there waiting for me to play
>them.  In fact, there's no option in any of them to have them make
>"attract" noises (not that I'd really want them to).

That's funny, I've run through the set up option on a friends BK2K and
it has an option to make attract noises. When its on, it says a catchy
phrase (often "gimme your money") and then blinks its general
illumination, like High Speed above. As a home machine, its obviously
a good idea to turn this option off.

Maybe you have a different ROM in your BK2K.

-Steve
From: sbb@panix.com (Steve Baumgarten)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Re: Jordan Pinball
Date: 5 Nov 92 03:25:35 GMT
Organization: PANIX Public Access Unix, NYC

In article <1992Nov1.213227.22990@gallant.apple.com> Steve Bollinger <buzz@apple.com.> writes:

   This game going to do the pin world a lot of damage. The play is
   disjointed and confusing (why does it make gun noises when I am
   shooting basketballs, and why does a guy make a hurt noise when I
   make the monster slam at the end?) The graphics suck all around and
   the play is incomprehensible. Furthermore, it was clearly not made
   to make money (intro too long, etc.) But it will make money, hand
   over fist. This game was packed when I was there both times. Taken
   on its own, this game is probably the worst Data East I've seen. If
   you've played LW3, it is okay, since you know what to shoot.

I think some people's powers of observation aren't what they might be;
certainly when I saw the custom "Gulf War" CHECKPOINT conversion at
the Expo last year, it never occurred to me for a minute that it was
anything other than a custom, one-of-a-kind game.

You know why?  Because even if I'd never seen a CHECKPOINT before, it
was obvious that the game sounds weren't very appropriate at times;
and neither the playfield nor the artwork had the close attention to
detail that Data East lavishes on all their games.

People may tend to like games from one manufacturer more than games
from another, but none of the manufacturers put out hastily made,
slapped-together games.  Though uninventive, derivative clone games
with uninspiring graphics are the norm in the video world these days,
every pin released by each of the three manufacturers always looks
like a lot of people spent an awful lot of time trying to get
everything to look and sound just right.

(Case in point: I never really cared for the gameplay on THE SIMPSONS,
but the game itself is gorgeous, the sound is amazing, it features
eye-catching artwork and playfield pieces, etc.  No matter what I
personally think of it, anyone can see that it's anything but a
quickie knockoff, thrown together by careless people who are just out
to make a buck.)

So to the original poster: do yourself a favor and *look* at these
games.  Really *look* at them.  And having done that, how can you
really think that Data East would slap Michael Jordan's name on LW3
and crank out 10000 copies in a cynical attempt to make money?

We're lucky indeed that no one in this industry operates that way, and
that the worst thing we can find to moan about is an over-reliance on
licenses for new game ideas.  Players in the video world would, I'm
sure, trade their problems for ours in a minute.

--
    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