Digital Pinball Glossary

A collection of terms and acronyms used in pinball and on the DPF site.

A

active bumper
An active bumper is and upright, typically cylindrical or rectangular area, that applies force to the ball when hit. The cylindrical variety is referred to as a mushroom bumper, when capped with a circular top, which usually lights up to show the points scored when the bumper is hit. See also passive bumper
add-a-ball
Allows the player to add additional balls by achieving a specific task e.g. during an active multiball. A feature especially popular on the latest generations of Stern machines. Earlier in pinball history, add-a-ball was actually used to describe that a player can earn extra balls.
AFM
Acronym for pinball table Attack from Mars
apron
The large attachment at the very bottom of the playfield, which usually holds a score and/or instruction card and which covers the ball trough. The front edges of the apron lead the ball to the drain.
autosave
For a limited time, every ball that goes down the drain will be returned to the plunger. Usually only available when starting with a new ball (to compensate for "unfair" very fast drains), it will also be available during the start of multiballs on later machines. Also known as ball saver.

B

backbox
The vertical "head" of the pinball machine, where the score is displayed.
backglass
The upright glass panel in the backbox, displaying the game's title and a game-themed illustration. Usually has several unprinted areas through which the score and credit or match displays are viewed.
ball lock
On some machines, a progression of "ball locks" leads to a multiball. On older machines this refers to the physical mechanism that stores the balls on the playfield.
ball saver
See autosave.
On most solid state games, if no scoring activity is detected for a certain period of time, all moving components of the game will cycle in sequence in an effort to free any balls that may have become stuck.
banana flippers
Curved flipper bats found on Williams' Disco Fever and Time Warp games, shaped much like a banana.
bank
See drop target.
BBI
Acronym for the pinball table Bone Busters Inc
BH
Acronym for the pinball table Black Hole
BK
Acronym for the pinball table Black Knight
BK2K
Acronym for the pinball table Black Knight 2000
bonus (end-of-ball bonus)
One of the universal paradigms of pinball games is the end-of-ball bonus. During play, certain shots and events can increase a bonus score or a multiplier, which is then applied to the player's score when the ball drains. The rules for the ball bonus vary from game to game - some games simply increase the bonus during play, and some add scores from various in-game modes and counters (e.g. the number of door panels and hitchhikers collected in Twilight Zone).
BoP
Acronym for the pinball table Bride of Pin•Bot
BR
Acronym for the pinball table Black Rose
BS
Acronym for the pinball table Big Shot
BSD
Acronym for the pinball table Bram Stoker's Dracula
bumper
A raised area of the playfield which the ball can bounce off. See active bumper and passive bumper.
buy-in
Many modern pinball machines give the player the option to continue their game after the last standard ball has drained, usually at a cost of one credit. Some games also keep a separate high-score table for games completed in this manner, so that "true" high scores are separated from ones that might be artificially increased through the use of extra credits. These scores are usually displayed as "buy-in high scores". Continuing the game sometimes also provides extra benefits, such as an extended ball-saver period or starting a mode automatically, to give the player an incentive to spend the extra credits.

C

captive ball
A pinball trapped within a small area of the playfield. The captive ball never leaves this area, and the free ball can never enter it. However, the free ball can knock into the captive ball, which in turn can knock into targets in its area. Some tables even feature multiple stacked captive balls (e.g. Judge Dredd, Big Bang Bar), and some provide fixed balls as targets to trigger a moving captive ball (Theatre of Magic).
CBW
Acronym for the pinball table Cue Ball Wizard
CC
Acronym for the pinball table Cactus Canyon
CFTBL
Acronym for the pinball table Creature from the Black Lagoon
combo
Combo (or combo shot) refers to an immediate combination of different moves, often continuous ramp and/or orbit shots. Some machines, like Taxi, Theatre of Magic, and Demolition Man, reward combo shots by an increasing number of points, depending on the number of successful consecutive shots made.
conversion kit
Special equipment that can be used to transform one pinball table into another.
CP
Acronym for the pinball table Central Park
CV
Acronym for the pinball table Cirqus Voltaire

D

dead bumper
See Passive bumper.
Digital Pinball
Digital pinball (or virtual pinball) is a digitally simulated version of real pinball, which can either be played on a computer with monitor, a phone, a tablet or played on a machine set up to resemble a real pinball table
DMD
A dot-matrix display is a pixel-addressable display used to display the score and other status during the game. Almost always placed in the backbox (exception: Cirqus Voltaire). Most machines released from 1992 onwards, starting with Data East's Checkpoint, released in 1991, feature this display. Some exceptions are the two VGA-driven Pinball 2000 series machines, pinball games that uses a LCD-display such as the machines from Jersey Jack Pinball and Heighway Pinball or retro style machines such as Whoa Nellie! Big Juicy Melons.
drain
The common term used to refer to the area beneath the flippers. If the ball rolls into the drain area via an outlane or between the flippers, it will be lost. Also refers to the act of losing a ball in this manner.
drop target
An upright, pressure-sensitive rectangle that drops below the playfield when hit by the ball. Drop targets are often arranged in so-called banks, and may require being hit in combination or in sequence to score or light special features.

E

EATPM
Acronym for the pinball table Elvira and the Party Monsters
electro-mechanical (EM)
A pinball machine design that relies on relays, motors and switches to run. This design was phased out in the late 1970s. EM machines are easily recognized by their scoring displays that have mechanical score reels that spin to show the score. Newer machines are referred to as solid state (SS).
ES
Acronym for the pinball table Earthshaker
extra ball
An additional bonus ball that can be earned by achieving a specific task.

F

flipper
A tapered bat, typically found in pairs at the bottom of the table, that is the player's primary means of controlling the ball. Normally a downward slope extending the bottom structure of the table, one end is moved upward in an arc when the player taps the appropriate button.
FT
Acronym for the pinball table Fish Tales
FTPH
Acronym for the pinball table Frank Thomas' Big Hurt

G

GI
An acronym of general illumination, this refers to the lights on the playfield used simply to make the playfield visible in a dark room. Also known as street lighting
gobble hole
A hole in a pinball table that ends the game or the current ball if the ball falls in it. On most games with this feature, the gobble hole will be lit for a special and/or a large number of points once some other in-game objective has been completed. One game with this feature is Slick Chick.

H

habitrail
A wireform path for the ball to travel in a straight line. May consist of either two wires on the bottom, or four wires to fully enclose the ball.
HD
Acronym for the pinball table Harley Davidson
HRC
Acronym for the pinball table High Roller Casino
HS
Acronym for the pinball table High Speed
hurry-up mode
An optional side mode in which the player is challenged to complete a task within a brief time limit to earn bonus points. Traditionally, hurry-ups start with a large point value, which rapidly decreases over several seconds; completing the task stops the countdown and awards its value. Another common variant is to use a hurry-up to determine the shot value of a mode that starts immediately afterward, where it can be collected multiple times.

I

inlane
The inside lane of the pinball machine. See "lane" for more information.

J

jackpot
A specially designated point bonus; typically among the highest amounts that can be scored with one shot. In earlier games (mid-late 80s), scoring the Jackpot was the ultimate goal of the game, requiring the player to complete a precise and difficult set of tasks to score it. The Jackpot would continue to build slowly over many games until it was scored. More modern games simply call any multiball shot award a "jackpot" and the values are more downplayed.
JB
Acronym for the pinball table Jack Bot
JD
Acronym for the pinball table Judge Dredd
jet bumper
WMS Industries and Midway Games name for active bumpers
JY
Acronym for the pinball table Junk Yard

K

kickback
A launching mechanism located inside an outlane that saves the ball from being drained if it falls in there. Kickbacks are usually disabled at the start of a session and can be activated as a reward during play, although there are some exceptions, like the virtual table 3D Pinball Space Cadet. Most tables tend to utilize only one kickback and leave one outlane unprotected for increased difficulty and revenue.
kickout hole
A depression in the pinball table that the ball can fall into. This is usually just large enough for the ball to fit into it. After gaining some points, and/or adjusting the game state, the ball is kicked back into play in a predictable direction and speed.

L

LAH
Acronym for the pinball table Last Action Hero
lane
A lane is in general any area of the table just wide enough to let the ball pass through. Special kinds of lanes are inlanes and outlanes; both types are situated at the bottom of the playing field. The outlanes are at the far ends and connect to the bottom (causing loss of the ball), the inlanes are next to them and connect to the flipper area.

M

magic post
A post that can rise up between the flipper fingers and completely block the middle drain. Sometimes also called a recovery post or up post.
magna-save
A feature that allows the player to activate a magnet located just below the entrance to an outlane. A ball headed for the outlane will be held by the magnet and diverted to the corresponding inlane instead. Williams Electronics pioneered this feature on the Black Knight game.
match
The chance to win a free game after the last ball has drained. On most machines the free game is received when the last two digits of the score match a pseudo randomly picked two digit number. The winning chance can be altered by the operator. Most modern games incorporate a short animated skit that culminates in the match number selection.
MM
Acronym for the pinball table Medieval Madness
mode
A configuration of the table where specific goals must be met in a limited time to score points, hitting specific lanes or dropping specific targets, sometimes combined with multiball. Some tables have multiple modes that must be activated in order, usually building up to an "ultimate" last mode or the wizard mode where the most points can be scored.
MSF
Acronym for the pinball table Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
multiball (multi-ball)
A situation where a series of balls are shot onto the playfield. Multiballs are either a mode that can be selected by the gamer, or can be triggered in the pinball machine that forces the other balls to roll on the playfield.

N

NF:DS
Acronym for the pinball table No Fear: Dangerous Sports
NGG
Acronym for the pinball table No Good Gofers

O

orbit
A path for the ball that hugs the outer rim of the game. Orbits generally have a slingshot effect; sending the ball into an orbit generally means it returns immediately from another. Orbits are generally named for the side of the playfield on which the ball enters (e.g. the "left orbit" means the ball enters the orbit on the left side and travels to the right).
outlane
See lane. The outlanes are generally the outside lanes at the sides of the playfield that lead the ball to the drain (sometimes with a possibility of striking a peg and re-entering the adjacent inlane).

P

passive bumper
A bumper which does not kick the ball when hit, although it may register a score or play a sound effect. Also known as a dead bumper.
peg
A small, stationary vertical post with a rubber ring, designed to deflect the ball away from sensitive parts and to reject poorly-aimed shots. Some games place a peg between the flippers, giving the ball a chance to bounce away from the drain and back onto the flippers (see also "magic post" and "stopper").
playfield
The main flat surface of the game, on which targets, ramps, orbits, flippers and bumpers are arranged. "Playfield" refers both to the surface itself and to the overall play area (to distinguish it from other parts of the machine such as the backbox). The ball rolls along this surface. Many games refer to the "lower" playfield (nearest the player) and the "upper" playfield (nearest the backbox). In some cases, this distinction is more literal, as in the separate, vertically-arranged playfield levels in Black Knight 2000.
plunger
A player-controlled, spring-loaded rod that allows the player to send the ball into the game. The plunger is usually located at the bottom right corner of the pinball machine.
pop bumper
Gottlieb name for active bumpers
popper
A device that launches the ball vertically, often to a raised playfield.
PoTO
Acronym for the pinball table Phantom of the Opera
PZ
Acronym for the pinball table Party Zone

R

ramp
A section of the playfield with a raised gradient. Ramps generally lead either to raised playfields or to inlanes.
RBION
Acronym for the pinball table Ripley's Believe it or Not!
replay
A free game received after a certain score is reached.
rollover
A flat switch residing in the playfield itself. A rollover is activated when the ball rolls over it.

S

SC
Acronym for the pinball table Safe Cracker
scoop/saucer
A hole that catches the ball.
score motor
A motor in an EM pinball cabinet used primarily to ensure that score reels are updated correctly. It activates relays repeatedly until a specific task is completed. Also known as a "cam timer".
skill shot
A bonus awarded to the player for completing a specific task when releasing the ball. Most games that include skill shots require the player to either plunge the ball with just the right amount of force to hit a specific target, or to make a specific shot with the flippers as the first shot once the ball is on the playfield. (Not to be confused with "combo shot".)
slam tilt
This particular form of tilt is given if the machine is nudged with such violence that it risks damaging the hardware. Such an action generally sounds an alarm and causes the machine to reset, ending ALL players' games in progress (hence voiding the credit). A slam tilt is sometimes also given if force is applied to the coin box.
sling shot
The triangular objects on either side of the flippers that propel the ball toward the opposite side.
Solid State
Solid State (SS) pinball machines have mechanisms controlled digitally using a series of electronic microchips. In contrast to Electro-mechanical (EM) machines.
special
Some machines allow the player to earn a free game (called a special in that context) by achieving a specific task (e.g. lighting all monsters and their instruments in Monster Bash).
spinner
A target that is on the playfield and when hit by the ball, rotates.
SS
Acronym for Solid State
SS
Acronym for the pinball table Scared Stiff
SST
Acronym for the pinball table Starship Troopers
standup targets (stand-up targets, spot targets)
A standing target on a playfield, similar to a drop target, but which does not drop into the playfield when struck.
stopper
A small metal post, often with a rubber ring, typically found between and slightly below the bottom flippers. If the ball hits the post, it will bounce up and away, saving it from draining. Skilled players can use the stopper to make trick shots. On some tables, the stopper is made available only as a reward. (See also: peg, magic post)
ST:TNG
Acronym for the pinball table Star Trek: The Next Generation
subway
A track underneath the playfield that moves the ball from one spot on the playfield to another. Usually the ball drops into a hole, and is then ejected from the subway back onto the playfield by a solenoid.

T

T2
Acronym for the pinball table Terminator 2: Judgment Day
TAF
Acronym for the pinball table The Addams Family
target
See Drop target.
thumper bumper
Bally name for active bumper before the 1988 Williams-Midway merger
tilt
The tilt mechanism detects when the machine is being lifted, tilted or shaken beyond an acceptable level. Originally designed to prevent players from lifting the front of the machine to cause balls to roll backwards, it also helps prevent damage to the machine's hardware, body and legs by discouraging players from shaking the machine too hard. When the mechanism is triggered, the machine "tilts", ending play for the current ball and usually forfeiting any bonuses earned (if it's the last ball, and the player has no extra balls left, the game is automatically over). Most modern games provide a configurable number of warnings per ball before tilting. Some older games would void the entire game upon tilt.
ToM
Acronym for the pinball table Theatre of Magic
topper
An extra decoration that sits on top of the backbox of the machine that is typically an extension of the theme of the game. Early toppers were simple signs but by the 1980’s they would illuminate or would move in sync with events in the game. Some modern toppers will light up with progress in the game and can unlock levels.
TOTAN
Acronym for the pinball table Tales of the Arabian Nights
toy
Many pinball machines have unique objects on or above the playfield to enhance the theme of the game. They are called "toys" mainly because they often resemble children's toys and are specific to the machine in question. Some directly impact gameplay, while others are non-interactive or purely cosmetic. For example, Twilight Zone features two significant toys: The gumball machine (which stores and releases balls), and a working analog clock (which is used to show the time remaining in various game modes). Another example of a gameplay-affecting toy is the spinning soccer ball in World Cup Soccer.
translight
The plastic or glass sheet in the backbox, generally displaying the game's main illustration on a translucent piece of printed plastic, allowing light to pass through. Also called the "backglass". The term "translight" (or "translite") usually refers more specifically to the printed plastic in modern pinball games using dot-matrix displays, since those displays are mounted underneath the glass, not behind it, allowing the artwork to be one single unmodified sheet.
turbo bumper
Data East name for active bumper.
TZ
Acronym for the pinball table Twilight Zone

U

up-kicker
An electro-mechanical feature that physically propels the ball upwards onto a second-tier playfield, as used in Gottlieb's Haunted House.
up post
See magic post.

V

Virtual Pinball
See Digital pinball
Vitrigraph
Gottlieb's patented photo-realistic mylar overlay for pinball playfields rather than the industry standard silk screen on the wood.
Vpin
Short for Virtual Pinball. See Digital pinball
VUK
Short for vertical up-kicker. Synonym for popper.

W

WD
Acronym for the pinball table WHO dunnit
wedge head
Trapezoidal shaped cabinet backboxes when viewed from the front.[2]
WH2O
Acronym for the pinball table White Water
widebody
Widebody pinball machines offer more playfield space and more to be packed in but are more expensive
wizard mode (wizard bonus)
A special mode or bonus, started only after completing a long and difficult series of tasks in a pinball machine. The first wizard bonus was the "king's ransom" in 1989's Black Knight 2000. As rulesets have gotten more complicated, many modern games offer smaller "mini-wizard" modes as challenging tasks for intermediate players.
vari-target
A target that can be moved by the ball by a varying amount. Normally this directly corresponds to the number of points received, as it is usually risky trying to shoot the narrow target with full force.

XYZ

Zen
Short for Zen Studios, makers of Zen Pinball and Pinball FX

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