HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: kjohnson@csugrad.cs.vt.edu (Keith Johnson)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: T2 weirdness
Date: 4 Sep 92 00:26:00 GMT
Organization: Virginia Tech Computer Science Dept, Blacksburg, VA

I played T2 for the first time in a long time the other day..  When I
was on my second multiball, I managed to lock one ball in the gun right
away, then after about 30 seconds, locked a ball in the escape route
lock (which happened to be on "multiball" at the time), then promptly
lost the 3rd ball.  Then the game says "Shoot for 2x Jackpot - 20 mil."!

Apparently, getting multiball DURING multiball lights 2 jackpots at once
sorta.  Too bad 10 mil. seems to be the cap.  I almost would have
rathered get the one jackpot then get multiball again because it was up
to around 6.5 mil. before shooting up to 10 mil.  But I got the 20, then
it shot out the 3rd ball for me again, so I had 3 balls again to try for
the super jackpot.  Of course, I lost 2 balls right away (sucks that 
auto-fire lasts only for the 1st multiball).  Has this happened to
anyone else?  It took me a while to realize why all this happened, but
now I think it's kinda neat.

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: sjsobol@tiny.com (Steven J. Sobol)
Reply-To: sjsobol@tiny.com (Steven J. Sobol)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Distribution: world
Subject: TAF again
Organization: The Tiny Software Company, Main Office, Cleveland, Ohio
Date: Tue, 25 Aug 92 00:04:16 

Well, after the fanatical posts of Addams Family addicts, I decided to
find a TAF machine in Cleveland. As it turns out, there is one right near
my house, played quite regularly by a new female friend of mine who is a 
pinball fan. (I think I'm in love! :) Anyhow, it seems like quite a good
game, although I couldn't hear the sound effects because it was in a bar and
the jukebox was playing constantly. I'm sure I will have questions for 
everyone soon....

*--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. 
 *  **   ** | **Welcome to Ohio, the Land of the Orange Construction Barrel**
From: yyz@cbnewsf.cb.att.com (donald.w.coons)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: New Games Review
Date: 29 Aug 92 23:19:05 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: AT&T

Today I took another trip to my local Beta site, as expected they now have a
Dr. Who next to there Fish Tales. They also had a new Data East game called 
(drum roll please held for 15 years, because thats when the movie came out) 
Star Wars. As posted earlier Dr. Who is wide open in the middle, unfortunately
this game also had another unique feature, a right flipper that stayed up.
So I only played one game. For you Dr. Who fans out there all 7 doctors are
displayed on the backglass and throughout the game, along with a very prominent
trade mark. Multiball is achieved by locking balls in holes at the top middle
of the game (ala Pinbot) once both balls are locked the area rises and a series
of targets must be made to start multiball. I am not sure about jackpots, etc.
since I never achieved multiball. Game does have a video mode basically a chase
seen where you have to hit the flipper buttons to jump over obstacles. Game is
marketed under Bally name but has long yellow Williams flippers, 3 of them 
total.

As far as the Star Wars goes, its typical Data East, good sound and excellent
graphics. Ball is launched like Star Wreck and you have a sight to shoot down
a fighter for 3 million points. Very prominent ramp right up the middle that
you can loop all day for big points, multiball was also pretty easy to obtain.
R2D2, C3PO, Darth Vader all the Star Wars characters are here. You will soon
remember all the lines from the movie, "use the force Luke, etc". Got 140 
million on first game and managed on match but 3 games was plenty for me.
Game did advertise the next Data East release just like Star Wreck advertised
Hook. Its another commercial tie in, called Bullwinkle and Rocky.

Pricing on all these is 50 cents per play no more 3 for a buck. It looks like
this may be the new industry standard. Questions, comments, etc. let me
know. 

Don Coons
dwc@wnb3b2.att.com
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: meyer@dbsun.uucp (Don Meyer)
Subject: Re: Level question
Keywords: Gorgar, question
Organization: BioMerieux-Vitek, St. Louis Mo.
Distribution: na
Date: Tue, 1 Sep 1992 12:22:31 GMT

In article <1992Aug31.204643.1084@cbnewsd.cb.att.com> knudsen@cbnewsd.cb.att.com (michael.j.knudsen) writes:
>In article <1992Aug23.174412.24629@dbsun.uucp>, meyer@dbsun.uucp (Don Meyer) writes:
>> 1) How do you level a machine?  I assume that the playfield should be
>> level left-to-right.  How about front to back?  I know that shouldn't
>
>Yes, level L-R.  Someone suggested taht you start out the front-back
>by levelling the *bottom* of the machine along the cabinet.
>Most carpenter's torpedo levels let you do that.
>After that, it's a personal thing.  Warped trajactories, hung-up balls
>on playfield, and boredom are all signs that you should jack up the rear
>legs some more.

As received, there is at least 3/4 "bubble" :-) more slope off of level
front-to-back.  I tried leveling the bottom of the cabinet, but the
ball seemed to s-l-o-w-l-y roll down.  Not sure if my perceptions
of appropriate speed are warped are not, but pure level seemed too
slow! :-)

Thanks for the answers on the other topics.  I paid $575 for my Gorgar.
In answer to the digital howls of "You sucker!", allow me to pre-emptivly
state that this machine is in *good* shape.  Playfield has _no_
wear spots to speak of, all plastic parts appear original (well at
least they are "Gorgar" parts, may not be truly original).  Backglass
has several small flecks that need to be touched up, but is in good
shape otherwise.  No massive flaking etc.  Came with schematics and
everything works!  Looks just like I remember the one I used to play
in college (~1980) looking.

Any rules of thumb on how often to wax the playfield?  I want to
maintain it in it's undamaged shape, but don't want to over-wax
either.

Thanks again,
Don


-- 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
meyer%dbsun.uucp@wupost.wustl.edu        |||     I am at two with nature.
Opinions expressed are personal.         |||       -- Woody Allen
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: knudsen@cbnewsd.cb.att.com (michael.j.knudsen)
Subject: Re: DE origin
Organization: AT&T
Distribution: na
Date: Mon, 31 Aug 1992 21:34:39 GMT

In article <1992Aug25.003443.5419@msuinfo.cl.msu.edu>, KAMCHAR@ibm.cl.msu.edu writes:

>      Actually, the DE company dates back to Chicago Coin (from what I've read
> on the net), and continues as the Stern company through the Seventies and

Probably true, as far as plant and staff and employees are concerned.
I know that Chicago Coin became Stern for sure.

BTW, even some Radio Shack Color COmputer game cartridges ("Thexder")
from the late 80s say "Licensed from Data East."

>      My Question:  in Time Machine, thanks are given to both a Mr. Stern and a
> Mr. Williams.  Did they go into the business together, and what precipitated
> their falling out, if any?

Good question, convered in _Pinball One_.  Harry Williams and Sam Stern
joined to form the United Mfg. Co in late '40s.  They put out some good
pins, bowlers, arcade gun games, you name it.  In early 50s they had
some personal and philosphical "irreconcilable differences" and
split to form Williams while Sam took over Chicago Coin.
I do know that Sam was the expert business manager, while Harry
was the genius game designer (like Scully versuse Steve Jobs at Apple).

Harry Williams got bought out of his own company in 60s (?)
and went back to being a pingame design consultant, doing work for Stern
(fancy that).  BIG GAME and GALAXY are Stern SS pins of late 70s
done by Harry, who started contracting like this back in early 30s!
(as in Pacific's CONTACT '33-'34).

Ironic that so few "Williams" games were made while Harry was part
of the company.  I do sort of consider my CONTACT to be a Williams
game, tho in a different sense than HIGH SPEED or even APOLLO.

I had a United shuffle-alley bowler as a kid, and now have the playfields
from those Stern SS pins I mentioned.  Maybe that's why I remember
this stuff :-)  Actually, the reshuffling of CEOs and master game
designers thruout pinball history would strain the brains of Tom Clancy,
Dostoyevsky, and Woody Allen's genealogist combined.
-- 
"R-E-C-P-E-K-T -- that's what Quayle won't give to me!"
  Programmers Do It on paper.  So do puppies.
	knudsen@iexist.att.com
From: ung@felix.filenet.com (Bill Ung)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Re: Hightest Thing Multiball score.
Date: 26 Aug 92 20:18:50 GMT
Reply-To: ung@fritz.filenet.com (Bill Ung)
Organization: FileNet Corp., Costa Mesa, CA

In article <26y1PB1w164w@jwt.UUCP> bbs-garfield@jwt.UUCP writes:
|gt2807a@prism.gatech.EDU (Benjamin H. Cowan) writes:
|
||   The same thing as slam tilting it.  If the machine is "reset" in some
|| manner (i.e. slamming it or power cycling it), any balls in the swamp are
|| ejected back into the hopper before the machine will allow the next game
|| to begin.
|
|That's nice; now, at the risk of looking very dumb, I have to ask why you 
|would want balls ejected from the swamp, and what slam tilting is... 
|sorry, but I'm kinda new to pinball... I was a casual player until a few 
|weeks ago when I started reading this SIG...

Well, first off, if there are no balls locked in the swamp, as soon as
you lock ball #1, you get another ball in the plunger.  At this point,
you can either:

    a)  Go for the butt-simple lock and drop the second ball into the 
	swamp (make it a really week plunger shot) ... assuming that
	the swamp is lit for ball-lock (Good ThingKing!)

    b)  Go for the Skill-Shot again, gaining 2, 3, 4 or 5 million and
	getting Thing to lock ball #2 for you.  

    c)  If this is ball #3, you have another chance at the skill shot
	(see 'b') but Thing won't lock the third ball for you.  At
	this point, after collecting those extra few million points,
	shoot for the Electric Chair or the Vault (depending upon
	which ones are lit).

As for Slam Tilting, that's when you slam your hand, knee, foot,
annoying-little-kid's-head into the coin box.  I don't remember all
the details but there was a way to gain free games by slamming the
coin box.  In any case, it's a deterrent to keep people from slamming
the coin box.  The punishment for a slam tilt it a full game reset.
You don't lose the ball, you lose the entire game in progress (if
one is in progress) ... all the games I've seen so far will leave
existing credits intact ... this may not be true 100% of the time,
though.

|---
|David Eison - Garfield           bbs-garfield@jwt.uucp
|I'm not writing a message.  These words are just here to take up space.

Bill Ung
  ung@filenet.com

Xref: sparky rec.games.pinball:3993 news.answers:2690
From: "luc theriault" <luc.theriault@canrem.com>
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: replay percentaging
Date: 3 Sep 92 16:12:49 EST
Reply-To: "luc theriault" <luc.theriault@canrem.com>
Distribution: rec
Organization: Canada Remote Systems

I have a question for all the pinball experts out there.

I've started playing pinball again a few months ago after a few years
absence from the game and discovered the pleasures of replay
percentaging (i.e. you win a game, the replay score on the next game
goes up) as opposed to a fixed replay score. I've been playing FUNHOUSE
and this is what happens: I put in my quarter and start my game, I'll
win a game, play for a couple hours on this one quarter winning maybe a
dozen games (on score, high score, special, match) or so. The base
score was say 4,100,000 at the start and 12,100,000 at the end. If I
return the next day the base score is at something like 5,300,000. If I
repeat the performance the next day the base score is something like
7,300,000.

My question is the following: Is the base score determined strictly by
the operator or does the machine do a form of accounting when it is
reset (turned on and off at night) and adjust the base score in view of
the number of replays vs money taken in on that day? (If I leave the
machine alone for a few days the base score then seems to come back
down)

I'm just curious.
--
Canada Remote Systems  - Toronto, Ontario/Detroit, MI
World's Largest PCBOARD System - 416-629-7000/629-7044
From: pepke@ds1.scri.fsu.edu (Eric Pepke)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Re: Rape, arcade style
Date: 24 Aug 92 01:33:43 GMT
Reply-To: pepke@ds1.scri.fsu.edu (Eric Pepke)
Organization: Florida State University, but I don't speak for them

When I was last in London, prices were typically 50p per game with no quantity
discount.  At the then-current exchange rate that comes out to $0.96 per game.

Eric Pepke                                     INTERNET: pepke@gw.scri.fsu.edu
Supercomputer Computations Research Institute  MFENET:   pepke@fsu
Florida State University                       SPAN:     scri::pepke
Tallahassee, FL 32306-4052                     BITNET:   pepke@fsu

Disclaimer: My employers seldom even LISTEN to my opinions.
Meta-disclaimer: Any society that needs disclaimers has too many lawyers.
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: omitchel@jarthur.claremont.edu (Ocie *crow* Mitchell)
Subject: Re: Another flipper question
Organization: Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, CA 91711
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1992 16:19:30 GMT

In article <1992Aug27.092953.6811@hemlock.cray.com> kak1@cypress31.cray.com (Kevin Kramer) writes:
>
>I noticed when two flippers are controlled by the same button
>(both flippers are on one side) if you only push the flipper
>button half way then only the bottom flipper will flip, then
>when yopu push it a little farther then the top flipper will
>finally flip.  Why are there two contacts in the flipper switch.
>Wouldn't it be easier to only have one?  Just wondering.
>
>Kevin
Well, if you are nimble in the finger department you can use this feature to
catch one ball in the bottom flipper and still use the top flipper during
multi-ball.  If you ever see the game "Grand Lizard" you'll know what I mean.
Ocie.

----------------------------------------------+-------------------------------
``What do you think sirs?''  -Joel (mst3k)    | do not write above this line
----------------------------------------------+------------------------------- 
   __             _ _ _                       | Ocie Mitchell
  / ')           ' ) ) )  _/_    /      /) /) | omitchel@jarthur.claremont.edu
 /  / _. o _      / / / o /  _. /_  _  // //  | Q:is that your real name? 
(__/ (__(_(<_    / ' (_(_(__(__/ /_(<_(/_(/_  | A:yes, it is my real name.
----------------------------------------------+-------------------------------
From: sigma@picasso.ipl.rpi.edu (Kevin Martin)
Subject: Re: TAF High Score
Date: Wed, 26 Aug 1992 18:13:02 GMT

dianetti@acsu.buffalo.edu (Donald J. Dianetti) writes:
>I was quite dismayed to see that
>the Grand Champion score was 2.2 BILLION, a score which puts my measly
>746 million high score to shame.
>So, is this the highest Addams Family score anyone has achieved?
>I'd be very curious to know just what the highest score is, and under
>what conditions (i.e. game skill level) it was achieved.

I put 2,727,4..,... or thereabouts on a TAF near my home (specifically, at
Tri-County Tech near Clemson, SC), during a seven-hour stretch which
included three other 1 Billion Plus games.  I've broken 1 Billion on two
other machines, gotten 970 Million on one, and come to 1,965 Million one
other time.  Generally though, the fifth or sixth multiball comes up and I
lose all my extra balls trying to get in the damn Vault.

The machine was very kind about Tilt - I mean, Death Saves were not a
problem.  A few games to warm up, and then go for it.  Tour as often as
possible.  Rack up extra balls.  Rack up Bear Kicks.  Do everything.

>Incidentally, whoever got that 2.2 B declined to enter any initials
>on his score, so I can't give anyone around here credit for it.

Someone might have been fooling around with the glass off, you know.  That
put 270 Million on a Whirlwind game a few years back, and I was ticked.

-- 
Kevin Martin
sigma@ipl.rpi.edu
"We're gonna need another Timmy!"
From: ben@monmouth.edu (Bennett Broder)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: TAF problem
Date: 26 Aug 92 19:33:37 GMT
Organization: Monmouth College, W. Long Branch, N.J.  07764

I am having a problem with my home TAF, and am looking for advice and
suggestions.

The other day, when the ball was ejected from the electric chair, it
lifted and removed a bit of DiamondPlate coated paint with it.  The
area affected is about just under 1/2" wide and about 3/4" long, and
is basically the unprotected paint between the edge of the hole and the
start of the protective mylar under the hole.  Now the black outline
around the electric chair has a 3/4" gap of bare wood showing.  A tiny
bit of yellow paint is missing too.  (Why didn't they run the mylar
directly to the edge of the hole?)

I could understand this happening on a busy arcade machine, but this is a
home machine with less than 2,500 plays on it, meticulously maintained
with Novus 1 & 2 cleaners.

First question.  The machine is 3 1/2 months old, and hence probably
out of warrantee.  Should I pursue the distributor about having the
playfield replaced (I guess it would have to be good will, I don't wan't
to pay for it), or should I try to repair the damage?

Any suggestions about how to proceed would be appreciated.

-- 

Bennett Broder               Monmouth College
                             Computer Services
ben@monmouth.edu             W. Long Branch, NJ 07764
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: sigma@picasso.ipl.rpi.edu (Kevin Martin)
Subject: Re: TAF- The Power
Distribution: na
Date: Wed, 2 Sep 1992 17:51:35 GMT

blowfish@carina.unm.edu (rON.) writes:
>Oh- and during the seance, the idea is the same- from the left, up the bear-
>kick ramp, and from the right straight to thing. Trying to pass the ball
>with the power on will get it eaten, as will right flipper->chair shots,
>unless you send it straight in.

Don't forget that on a level, fast game with strong flippers, you
can/should be able to hit Bear Kicks from the right, possibly even on
repeated shots.

-- 
Kevin Martin
sigma@ipl.rpi.edu
"We're gonna need another Timmy!"
From: overturf@bigbootay.sw.stratus.com (Dallas Overturf)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Re: Parts supplier info request
Keywords: faq?
Date: 3 Sep 92 18:30:26 GMT
Organization: Stratus Computer, Software Engineering

In article <1992Sep1.013743.22393@muddcs.claremont.edu> jrhine@jarthur.claremont.edu (Jared Rhine) writes:
>While I assume this is a faq, it must have expired on this machine.  I
>would very much like any information anyone may have regarding the
>names and phone numbers of suppliers of parts for pinball machines.  I
>have a Bally Nightrider.  I have apparently been put in charge of its
>repair and know next to nothing about how to fix it.  It seems to have
>a malfunctioning logic wheel.  Sort of like the gear isn't putting out
>enough torque.  I will try oiling it, checking the voltages, but I'm
>pretty sure I need to replace something, either to gear (I think it is
>a gear) or the thing that drives the gear (can anyone help me out with
>its name?)  Are such parts still available?
>

1st thing to do is check is to check the operation with your 
finger pushing in the plunger then releasing it.  Note if anything
feels wrong (compare to a good one if not sure)
Something sticky or just not being brought in all the way would 
cause your symptom.  Also check that the coil stop has not come
loose.

If the above is correct;
then check it by pressing in the relay that operates it which
is located in the back same as the score drum.  
(Bally I think labels them 10 100 1000 point relays.)
(Also you should be in a started game with the 1st ball at the plunger
to try this)

Pick the appropriate one.  If it works correctly by engaging the
relay by hand, If this works;
but normal playfield scoring does not work, then you probably have
a broken set of EOS (End of Stroke) points on the score reel.
This set of points is located by itself (not on the stack)
near the actual solenoid plunger.  The purpose of these points
is to hold the 10, 100, 1000 point relays in once engaged until
the score drum has pulled in to actually give you the score.
Again you can compare to a good working score reel to see how
they should look.

(Note:  Make sure this set of poits opens at least 1/16" or better
when the coil pulls in.)


Parts if needed are available through mayfair amusements
which are in the FAQ which I imagine someone will post again.
Sorry I don't keep that info handy though unless the coil has
melted, you may not need parts.   I've not seen many of those
score drums break in my time; though I known they can.


			Good Luck,		Dallas...
From: 00kmrobertso@bsu-ucs.uucp
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: test
Date: 29 Aug 92 21:04:27 GMT

test
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: setzer@math.ncsu.edu (William Setzer)
Subject: Slam Tilts (was Re: Hightest Thing Multiball score.)
Organization: The Chebychev Church of Probability
	<19750@fritz.filenet.com>
Date: Wed, 26 Aug 1992 20:56:26 GMT

ung@felix.filenet.com (Bill Ung) writes:
:
: As for Slam Tilting, that's when you slam your hand, knee, foot,
: annoying-little-kid's-head into the coin box.  I don't remember all
: the details but there was a way to gain free games by slamming the
: coin box.

Years back, I remember seeing people get free games by rough-handling
two different machines; the first machine would start a new game if
you picked the front up a foot or so and dropped it, and the second
would start a new game if you slammed your hand into the coin box.  I
was young then, so I don't know why it worked (and I didn't do it
myself, honest :-), but it may have been a common enough occurrence
to warrant a slam-tilt device.  Just a data point...


William
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: drk@zebra.mitre.org (David Kalagher)
Subject: Drop Target Stickers
Reply-To: dkalaghe@mitre.org
Organization: The MITRE Corporation, McLean, Va
Date: Tue, 1 Sep 1992 11:59:48 GMT

There was some talk here a while back concerning getting re-prints made
of drop target stickers.  I don't remember what became of this.  I have
a Wms. Blackout (1980) and need two sets of three drop target stickers as
well as stickers for five stand-up targets.  I have a couple of each type
but they are very faded (something I've been told is very common for
that time).  The Wms. part # for the drop target stickers is 30-7575.
There was not a part # on the stand-up target stickers.  I have pretty
much exhausted the Pinball Trader sources trying to find them.  Apparently
the drop target stickers were also used in two other games:  Sorcerer
and Firepower II.

First, does anyone have any extras of these?  Also, has anyone had
any experiences getting re-prints made or have suggestions on where
to get this done?

Thanks

Dave
dkalaghe@mitre.org