HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: drew@romeo.cs.colorado.edu (Drew Eckhardt)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Re: Surf N Safari
Date: 9 Apr 92 00:29:24 GMT
Article-I.D.: colorado.1992Apr9.002924.15143
Organization: University of Colorado at Boulder

In article <1992Apr7.053035.20782@samba.oit.unc.edu> gallaghj@med.unc.edu (John Joseph Gallagher Jr.) writes:
>In article <1992Apr2.061550.18163@colorado.edu> drew@ladymacb.cs.colorado.edu (Drew Eckhardt) writes:
>
>> [a bunch of observations and comments of the game deleted..  sorry! :-)]
>> 
>>Anyways, I've been playing it more and more lately, for longer 
>>games, and have run into some irritating bugs :
>>
>>1.  Ocassionally, after a really hot ball the sound turns off 
>>	and stays off for the rest of the game.  It gets 
>>	real erie just to hear the ball rolling around and 
>>	nothing else...
>
>This happens on our local machine too.  Does it primarly happen
>after you have won a free credit?  The game here would usually lose
>the sound (among other things) whenever the replay thwacker went off
>.  I opened it up, and it turned out that the vibrations from the
>knocker were temporarily shorting a connector on the sound board.  Usually
>when this happens the game has to be turned off and back on, or the boards
>reset to get the sound back.  Most of the time it will come back at the
>beginning of a new game or after a certain delay period.  I have noticed
>a few other games that do this, but SS is the main one.  If it is occuring
>randomly, it may be due to the gradual loosening of the connector over
>time (and by knocker hits), or some other bug, but in our case, tightening
>the connector inserts and toning down the knocker fixed it.
> 

Like I said, it only happens after a "really hot ball", 
an intentionally vague description.  It's never 
happened imediately after the first replay, but a really hot ball
might mean 2,3 or more replays  (the first for score, 
a safari or two, the second grid completion)

>>2.  During a real hot game, after finishing off the splash 
>>	drop targets, the drop targets will stay down
>>	and not be reset for you or any other players for
>>	the duration of the game.  Obviously, this makes 
>>	it nearly impossible to finish the grid again or 
>>	to get another safari... 
>
>Haven't noticed this, but could be a loose wire for the solonoid or a
>flaky transistor controlling the reset bank.  The best way to isolate
>the problem is check to make sure the swiches are closed with all the
>targets down, and then do a coil test.  Do the targets stay down if
>you reset the game?
>

Nope.
From: dtate@unix.cis.pitt.edu (David M Tate)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Re: Finally found TAF
Date: 10 Apr 92 16:03:27 GMT
Organization: University of Pittsburgh

In article <181011@pyramid.pyramid.com> andrem@pyrman2.pyramid.com (Andre Molyneux) writes:
>
>I found one advantage to the TAF that no one else has mentioned yet: the
>animation on the dot-matrix display, coupled with the great quotes from
>the movie, kept my wife very entertained while I played.  

It's not just your wife; this is easily the most entertaining game I've ever
seen in terms of watching someone *else* play.  Normally, when I'm playing
a multi-player game I'm just bored until my turn comes around.  Not with TAF.

This is the first game I've ever seen that could use bleachers. :-)


-- 
          David M. Tate            |"The man who hath no music in himself
     dtate@unix.cis.pitt.edu       | Nor is not moved by concord of sweet sound
  A poem should be dumb, / As old  | Is fit for treason, stratagems, and spoils
 medallions to the thumb.-MacLeish | 	Shakespeare, "Merchant of Venice", A.V
From: phaedrus@milton.u.washington.edu (Phaedrus)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Re: TAF rules and ramblings
Date: 7 Apr 92 03:45:02 GMT
Organization: University of Washington, Seattle

In article <j01t1z#@rpi.edu> sigma@sun.ipl.rpi.edu (Kevin Martin) writes:
>(spoilers?)

>When Special is lit, does the game light both lanes or what?  Do the
>bumpers and flippers turn them off and on or alternate?  Our left outlane
>is sometimes faulty, both in the light and sensor, and both of my Tours
>have ended during the Mamushka with a left drain.  Neither time did I
>receive the Special, and I'm wondering if I should be really peeved or
>just peeved.

Yes, the Special light is lit in one outlane only; the light moves from one
outlane to the other each time a slingshot bumper is hit.  This is in contrast
to FunHouse, where both outlanes start out on, and they both toggle from on to
off or vice-versa when a slingshot is hit.

Flippers don't control the Special light; that would make it too easy. :)  
(Though in the case of a machine with an intermittently faulty outlane circuit,
flipping might cause the outlane to start or stop working.)
-- 
Internet: phaedrus@u.washington.edu        (University of Washington, Seattle)
 "If you can keep your head while those about you are losing theirs,
    consider an exciting career as a guillotine operator!"
Hi!  I'm an anti-virus utility!  Install me in your .signature right away!
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: sigma@sun.ipl.rpi.edu (Kevin Martin)
Subject: Re: TAF rules and ramblings
Date: Tue, 7 Apr 1992 02:48:50 GMT

phaedrus@milton.u.washington.edu (Phaedrus) writes:
>     Didn't we already go through this? :)  As is typical for Williams
>machines, the timers for timed scoring modes stop whenever a ball is trapped
>momentarily; in the Electric Chair, in the Swamp, or on the way to or in the
>Thing lock.  During Multiball, the timers do not start until all three balls
>are in play; they also stop whenever any one of the three balls is trapped.  If
>you're the sort of player I am, who shoots for locks whenever there's a chance
>during Multiball (the Thing ramp sets you up perfectly for the jackpots, and
>the Chair and Swamp at least get a ball out of the way for a few seconds),
>the timers barely ever get a chance to move.

Tonight I immediately placed all three balls up Thing's short ramp... and
missed all three shots at the Jackpot/Double Jackpot.  How depressing.

Anyway, I have a question about the Tour.  I've gotten it twice, on a
machine with a truly torturous Electric Chair, and...

(spoilers?)

When Special is lit, does the game light both lanes or what?  Do the
bumpers and flippers turn them off and on or alternate?  Our left outlane
is sometimes faulty, both in the light and sensor, and both of my Tours
have ended during the Mamushka with a left drain.  Neither time did I
receive the Special, and I'm wondering if I should be really peeved or
just peeved.

-- 
Kevin Martin
sigma@ipl.rpi.edu
"We're going to need another Timmy!"
From: co90@ecs.soton.ac.uk (Oakley C)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Re: _ultimate_pinball_idiocy_ [TAF]
Date: 13 Apr 92 11:05:50 GMT

Note that this is only a further thought on the previous 2 posters but, having  worked for Bally in my past (Killer Job Tho'), it is possible for the logic to 
be set for the START button only to abort whilst the first round is being played. This certainly was the case on some older machines as to new ones, I am not sure what happens. It can be quite usefull for the button to be set like this as quite often you want new people to be added in whilst playing the first ball.     (why add in new people any later?).

Maybe if enough of us write to Bally et. al. we will get something done about tyhis (what seems to be new) problem.

Cads (What's the problem?---------> it's only rock'n'roll []
                                              sex         []
                                              pinball     {}
                                              other       []

tick as applicable)
From: jerryc@tekig7.PEN.TEK.COM (Jerry C Carathers)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Re: Spinners
Date: 16 Apr 92 22:18:53 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: Tektronix, Inc., Beaverton,  OR.

In article <204962@unix.cis.pitt.edu+ dtate@unix.cis.pitt.edu (David M Tate) writes:
+In article <1992Apr14.225705.15794@cbnewsd.cb.att.com+ knudsen@cbnewsd.cb.att.com (michael.j.knudsen) writes:
++
++OK people, what was the most recent pin with a spinner?  BK2000 had
++one in the white-arrow lane, but it was hidden from view.
+
+EARTHSHAKER has a spinner, up by the billboard.
+
+Does DINER have a spinner in the lane that leads to the ball lock?
+

Yes it does. I had to check mine to remember. I always shoot the "Manager's
Special" which fires the ball to the same saucer in most cases. It's actually
not the ball lock saucer, but the ball release/Dine Time saucer.

Someone else mentioned BK2000 having a spinner and I can't for the life of me
remember one. I'll also check mine tonite. I must be getting senile when I
can't even keep track of my own machine's features :^).

I finally haul Rudy home in June. Been looking forward to it for a while now.


		     I FEEL LIKE A MILLION!

		     Jerry (Mr. Pinball) Carathers
-- 
Internet: jerryc@tekig7.MAP.TEK.COM
___          __   __                __                        __  __
|_ ) | |\ | |__) |__| |   |      | (__     |\/| \ /    |   | |_  |_    
|    | | \| |__) |  | |__ |__    | ___)    |  |  |     |__ | |   |__
From: consp03@bingsuns.cc.binghamton.edu (Kriston J. Rehberg)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: TIME WARP information
Date: 13 Apr 92 03:45:39 GMT
Distribution: rec
Organization: Binghamton University Computing Services - The POD Staff

I'd like some information about the TIME WARP machine by Wms (I
think?).

Retail value (new, when it was)
Resale value
# of units manufactured
Frequent problems.

Anybody care to share information?

Thanks...

Kris

--
Kriston J. Rehberg, POD Consultant   INET: consp03@bingsuns.cc.binghamton.edu
Binghamton Computer Services          BIT: CONSP03@BINGVAXA.BITNET
#include <stddisclaimer.h>           FIDO: kris.rehberg at 1:272/94 or 1:272/51
Labra lege:  Hackito ergo sum        Only Amiga makes it possible!
"Your lack of common decency reminds me of a computer" - emacs M-x flame
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: tpehrson@javelin.sim.es.com (tim clinkenpeel)
Subject: Re: TAF thought and things ...
Reply-To: tpehrson@javelin.sim.es.com
Organization: Evans & Sutherland Computer Corporation
Date: Fri, 10 Apr 1992 23:21:50 GMT

keatesm@cs.man.ac.uk (Martin Keates(MSC RJH)) writes:

>You should see my Cousin Itt Impression !!! When I let my hair down........
>Err err errrr errrrr!!!!!
>(it scares the hell out of me :)

you should see _my_ 'hit cousin it' impression.  i have a large, spherical,
silver 'mortar dummy round' which i affectionately dubbed 'doom marble'.  the
effect would be tremendous if i were to fling it against the side of your
head, with hair down and appropriatley quabbling.  don't forget the hat.

this is humor.  just say no to smileys.

>RIGamortis
-- 
warning: my messages are offensive to morons |R| a person is only equal to all 
disclaimer: i exclusively represent myself! ||F|| others when s/he treats them
__________ lick bush in '92! _____________ |||R||| as such; inferior otherwise
>>>==-----+ i am tpehrson@javelin.sim.es.com, tim clinkenpeel i am +-----==<<<
From: phaedrus@milton.u.washington.edu (Phaedrus)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Re: Another TAF bug, or a feature?
Date: 16 Apr 92 01:54:01 GMT
Organization: University of Washington, Seattle

In article <17060@fritz.filenet.com> ung (Bill Ung) writes:
>simply reach under the game, switch it off for a second or two, then
>flip it back on.  The game will go through the usual test mode that
>it does at power up or after getting seriously confused (the other
>bug), however, while doing this, it will KICK BOTH OF THE OTHER BALLS
>OUT OF THE SWAMP!  They'll find their way to the drain and now you
>have three balls waiting for plunger shots.  Nice :-)

     Yes, I found this one too. :)  The same thing happens if you slam tilt,
though using the power switch is much more dignified (and safer if the arcade
owner happens to be watching).  I talked to my friend at Williams about this,
who said that this was intentional; fault-tolerance is very important at
Williams (Data East, are you listening? :) ), and it's apparently much simpler
to do tests and so on when you know the machine will start from a single known
state (all three balls in the drain).  

>Just a tip, the TAF game I played was, I think Rev L-1.  I don't know
>if this works for all TAF games or just specific ROM versions.  How
>many ROM versions exist for TAF anyway?

     As far as I know, this is true for all ROM versions, though my friend at
Williams did note that the programming team might have eliminated this 
"feature" if there had been more time, so it might not be true forever.
     I've seen at least two different ROM versions, perhaps three.  (One
version, the P- versions I believe, has animations for G-R-A-V-E and Tunnel
Hunt, and some other different features; another version, the L- versions I
believe (I may have these backwards), does not.  One of these days I'll have
to ask what the P and L stand for...

-- 
Internet: phaedrus@u.washington.edu        (University of Washington, Seattle)
 "If you can keep your head while those about you are losing theirs,
    consider an exciting career as a guillotine operator!"
Hi!  I'm an anti-virus utility!  Install me in your .signature right away!
From: ung (Bill Ung)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Pinball at Disneyland!!!
Date: 3 Apr 92 22:50:28 GMT
Reply-To: ung (Bill Ung)
Organization: FileNet Corp., Costa Mesa, CA
Return-Path: <darnold>
Apparently-To: felix!postnews

Note:  This posting is a few days old.  I had some problems posting to
       the net this week.  My apologies for duplicate postings.

Well, yesterday I took the day off and went to Disneyland!  The day was
fun, it wasn't too warm, wasn't too cold and didn't rain (but drizzled
a little).  Naturally, I took some time off to the Starcade to check out
the pinball games.

Lemme tell you, Disneyland is indeed the Happiest Place on Earth.  They
even keep their pinball games in tip-top condition!  My find was (can
you guess?) a 1986 HIGH SPEED game in absolutely terrific condition!
Playfield was immaculate, all the lights worked, the flippers were good
and strong as was the plunger spring.  I got 3.3 million, High Score #4
was 3.7 million ... bummer, I'd have loved to have my initials up at
Disneyland.

The rundown:

Disneyland Starcade had the following games (from memory):

HIGH SPEED
WHIRLWIND
PINBOT
FUNHOUSE
BATMAN
MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
BANZAI RUN
BLACK KNIGHT 2000

there's a bunch more that I forgot, sorry folks.

I do know that the Penny Arcade had another FUNHOUSE and a Williams
FIRE.

Good things:

As I said, Disneyland keeps their games in great shape.  The FIRE had
some bad switches.  FUNHOUSE refused to tell me anything unless I
pressed the ENTER key, as far as I could tell, it was fine.  All of
the playfields are CLEAN, very, very nice.  Most of the Williams games
had the new black rubbers around the flippers.  Is this a Williams
product?  I could have sworn this was a Data East innovation.  All
of the games were a joy to play, but especially the well-kept HIGH SPEED
game.

Bad things:

Many of the newer games had the .50/.75/1.00 pricing scheme.  I thought
this was a mistake.  A quarter a game seemed so much more appropriate
for Disneyland.  I don't know why.  Maybe it's because there's so many
games around you'd rather toss money into several instead of spend half
an hour with just one.

Also, NONE of the games in Disneyland support free games.  The HIGH
SPEED game awarded an Extra Ball at 600,000 points and there was no
MATCH anything on any of the games.  This was fine, I don't mind
living without the free games and the Extra Ball on HIGH SPEED was
nice.  Picked it up every time :-)


So, if you're headed for Disneyland, you might check 'em out.  It was
a nice addition to the day (note: I spent less than 1 hour on pinball,
half of which was after the main park closed).  Granted, there is the
20-30 dollar admission, but you'll have a lot of other attractions to
look at as well.

Bill Ung
  ung@filenet.com
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: gleeson@mundil.cs.mu.OZ.AU (Martin Joseph GLEESON)
Subject: Re: It has to warm up...so it can KILL you!
Organization: Computer Science, University of Melbourne, Australia
Date: Tue, 7 Apr 1992 09:11:39 GMT

So that makes ~70 quotes. Does TAF then win the prize for the most
verbose pin yet? Anyone remember how many quotes Rudy had?

Conspiring minds want to know....

----------------------=============***O***=============-------------------------
Martin J. Gleeson   | Computer Science, Melbourne Uni, Oz |    ...  __o    Outta
gleeson@cs.mu.oz.au |        B I K E   I T   ! !          |  ...   -\<,       my
" We gladly feast on those who would subdue us." - Addams |  ....(_)/(_)..  way!
----------------------=============***O***=============-------------------------
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: walshm@craft.camp.clarkson.edu (Matt 'MTM' Walsh)
Subject: Two cheap games for sale
Organization: Clarkson University
Date: Mon, 13 Apr 1992 20:07:30 GMT

These games are for sale, as is, non working.  I am trying to 
spend more time on newer games like High Speed and EBD.  Here Goes

Air Aces: Flawless backglass, plastics, drop targets, bumper caps. Good 
cabinet, C- playfield.  Missing flippers - rest intact.  This is a 
Bally E-M 4 player.

Big Shot: Great playfield, OK backglass, all parts intact, C- cabinet.

AAir Aces: $85\
Big Shot $75

I live in Columbus Ohio - but visit Champaign IL occasionally and parts in between.

mail responses to: PLEASE READ THIS AND USE THESE ADDRESSES
matt@walsh.dme.battelle.org

--
Matt Walsh  walshm@clutx.clarkson.edu
614-424-4159 (daytime)
614-538-9427 (after 5 est)
How can you have your pudding if you don't eat your meat? You! Yes You!
From: sao@athena.mit.edu (Andy Oakland)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Re: Miscellaneous
Date: 17 Apr 92 17:51:20 GMT
Organization: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

In article <1992Apr17.020749.21970@newshub.ariel.yorku.ca> cs911084@ariel.yorku.ca (NEMO G.G. DE FURIA) writes:

>Remember when they used to make outlanes like that?  Made for tilting?  I
>also remember a few old Ballys, namely Centaur 2000 or something like that; it
>had those one way doors on the outside of the outlanes so that if you were
>quick, you could bounce the ball back into the return lanes.  Speaking of anti-
>multiball, how many balls did that monster shoot out during multi-ball?  Must
>have been at least 4.

Five balls!  I know, I've got one.  Things get REALLY chaotic when it
fires them all out at once!  ("Begin Orbian Attack!"}

I love those "ball diodes" between the inlanes and outlines, too.  For those
who don't remember Centaur (just Centaur, not Centaur 2000) here's what they
looked like:  (Warning!  Crude ascii drawing coming up!)

     |  |  |\            Where "*" is a rubber bumper, and ">>" is a one-
     |  |  | \           way gate.  Banging the machine at just the right
     |  >  |  \          time as the ball drains will bounce it through
     *  >  |___\         the gate, into the inlane, and down onto the
     |  |                flipper.  Of course, they malfunction a non-trivial
     |    \              percentage and send balls from the inlane into the
     |      \            outlane, but it's still fun!
     | drain {}{FLIPPER}

	:Andy Oakland
	sao@athena.mit.edu
From: joelll@cs.umb.edu (Joel Herda)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: leaving replays behind...
Date: 15 Apr 92 23:14:31 GMT
Organization: University of Massachusetts at Boston

hullo...

on the tiny issue of leaving credits behind on a machine when one has
run out of time...

I myself consider it a really fun thing to do to rack up credits, and then
be able to walk away from the machine with the attitude of, "I'm such a 
wizard on this machine that I can earn enough replays not to have to worry
about the ones I'm leaving behind."

I regularly used to leave behind 10-15 credits on the (pathetically easy)
Kings of Steel machine at UMass/Amherst a few years ago (five different
specials on the table? why THANK you!), also to a lesser extent on Black 
Pyramid, Tomcat and High Speed.  

I would like to grumble about the lack of specials on modern machines...
TAF has only the outlane specials after touring the mansion plus the
replay score...(and the high scores, if you can reach them..)

But, then, this is how they get us to keep pumping in more quarters.


joelll herda
From: lfs@d62bonk.mitre.org (Lyman F. Sheats Jr.)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Re: Friendliest Outlane Award
Date: 31 Mar 92 19:53:09 GMT
Article-I.D.: d62bonk.LFS.92Mar31145309
	<1992Mar30.112615.1609@vax1.mankato.msus.edu>
	<1992Mar31.112859.24045@cs.columbia.edu>
Distribution: rec
Organization: The Mitre Corp., Bedford, MA.

amb@cs.columbia.edu (Andrew M. Boardman) writes:

>Since everyone was flaming on about vicious outlanes, I thought I'd
>comment on what appear to be the extraordinarily friendly ones on Hook.
>The inlanes are so damn wide that any bouncing at all on the post will
>usually send the ball there.

Hey, you mean someone else besides myself noticed this too?  Did you also
happen to notice that the top outside of the slingshot bumpers (the top
parts facing the outlane) actually angle a bit toward the center, instead
of being perfectly straight?  Very nice.  Almost too generous.

>And speaking of Hook, I'm really at a loss to the point of this game.  I
>can't parse the rule sheet for any useful info; just playing around and
>bashing the ball around netted me quite a good score though.  And
>repeatedly sending the ball into the upper left "clock shop" shot
>certainly boosts point levels, but isn't terribly interesting.  Any
>comments on this?

The best way I've found to play the game for big scores is to concentrate
on the AM/PM Crock Clock ramp, and whenever you complete AM/PM, send the
ball toward the VUK (vertical up kicker).  It'll net you an extra 5 million
on your Crock Clock bonus, and will also spot you a weapons target (since
the ball, when coming off the right ramp, will trigger the right return lane
switch, which lights the VUK for a spot of a weapons target), eventually
leading to multiball (where you can then hit the left ramp, the right ramp,
the left ramp, ... for the jackpots, and more Crock Clock bonus).  Too bad,
this method is just barely more exciting than pounding on the Windcoaster
ramp for 3M, 3M, 3M, etc.

I was at first very excited about HOOK when I first played it in NYC, but
once it showed up here, and I had the time to learn the rules, and figure
out a good play strategy, I got sick of it real fast.

--
Lyman F. Sheats Jr.
The MITRE Corporation
Burlington Road, Bedford MA 01730
email: lfs@mbunix.mitre.org
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: cs202124@umbc5.umbc.edu (cs202124)
Subject: Re: ? about Hurricane.
Keywords: Hurricane
Organization: University of Maryland Baltimore Campus, Academic Computing Services
Date: Mon, 6 Apr 1992 18:23:07 GMT

In article <sbb1.702511140@Ra.MsState.Edu> sbb1@Ra.MsState.Edu (Shay B. Berthelson) writes:
>We just got the Hurricane game here.  I was wondering about some of the
>patterns or things that need to be done for scoring well.  I have peeked in my week of playing at 22 mil,  Which I got because of a hellasious jackpot.

Well, whenever you get 5x or 3x playfield scores from the wheel, make sure you
keep scoring the ramp up the center.  After like four scores, you will get
1 million for each extra score.  BIG POINTS at 5x or 3x!!!!  After 3 or 4
shots, you have scorred just as much as you would have with the jackpot
that's usualy around 9-12Mil. ;)

Humm... I still think it's "This way to the bluegrass".  I've never
heard of beugrss (or what ever it was) before.  You made that up didn't you?

-John