From: sbb@panix.com (Steve Baumgarten)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Re: I liked Black Rose...
Date: 30 Dec 92 23:46:03 GMT
	<1992Dec29.221421.9111@nwnexus.WA.COM>
	<LFS.92Dec29211128@arcadia.mitre.org>
Organization: PANIX Public Access Unix, NYC

In article <LFS.92Dec29211128@arcadia.mitre.org> lfs@mitre.org (Lyman
F. Sheats Jr.) writes:

   A lot of the software from LW3 appears to have been reused, like
   the ramp, and the runaway to R2D2, to name a couple.

I played FISH TALES and STAR WARS with a non-pinballer friend of mine
today, and just explaining the games to him showed up the enormous
differences between a typical Williams release and a typical Data East
release.  I must have spent five minutes describing all the different
progressive scoring opportunities in FISH TALES -- we didn't even get
into the "best" way to play the game.  Took all of about 30 seconds
for STAR WARS (shoot the Death Star, shoot the ramp, shoot Yoda or
whatever else is lit on the upper right).  Not much more to the game
than that.  At least LW3 had a little more complexity to it.

I happen to like STAR WARS a lot, but more the way I like dessert:
after a good meal.  So I spend most of my time playing "real" games
like FISH TALES, WHITEWATER, TAF, CUE BALL WIZARD; then I play a
couple games of STAR WARS and forget about trying to get high scores.
Mostly I just like listening to it, to be perfectly honest...  ;-)

It's a fun game to play if all you want to do is bounce the ball
around and make R2D2 jump up and down and listen to all that great
music and sound.  It's possible to get into a real scoring "groove"
with it like you can (quite easily) in FISH TALES, but it doesn't
happen often, mostly because the game doesn't play smooth, as you
noted.  When I first saw the game, it seemed to me that the designers
had just sort of randomly strewed around a dozen or so playfield
pieces and left things at that.  After all, you could easily move any
of the tunnel shots, bumpers, the ramp -- pretty much anything on the
game -- a few inches one way or the other and it wouldn't really
change the way the game plays.

   And yes, I do like a kickback that doesn't require taking the glass
   off or losing the ball to get the thing relit.

The rather unhelpful instructions that flash briefly on the dot-matrix
display (if the game isn't too busy showing you something else) say
"Shoot drops then orbit for relaunch"; apparently this decodes into:
Hit the drop targets (I think you have to get all three; it doesn't
count if one or two are already down, but I might be wrong), then make
a loop shot (I think either left or right, but again, I'm not
completely sure).  This will light the left loop shot; when you make
it, the kickback is relit.

Of course, if only novice players have been playing the game recently,
that light comes on right away -- you won't have to hit the drop
targets or make the first loop shot to light it up, and a single left
loop shot will relight the kickback.  I can't tell you how much I
*hate* this kind of self-adjusting crap...

   And is it just me, or does R2D2 just kind of jump around and not
   even get involved with the play of the game?  I mean, at least
   THING on TAF locked balls for multiball.  All I ever see R2D2 do is
   jump up and down.  I bet if he broke, no one would even notice.

I know some arcades where that's true of the *flippers*, let alone
R2D2.  But as you were saying, consider that the amazing Capt. B.
Zarre followed the action by turning his head in PARTY ZONE.  That was
kind of neat, though the Captain was no Rudy.  I wonder if they'll
*ever* top Rudy...

--
    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