smbhax
Active member
- Apr 24, 2012
- 1,803
- 5
Nice! Man I gotta get practicing : o
-
Welcome Back to Digital Pinball Fans - please read this first
Classic Stern Poll - Official FarSight Poll (Closed)
- Thread starter Gord Lacey
- Start date
Nice! Man I gotta get practicing : o
In honor of Flight 2000's recent arrival, I've decided to take a look back at this poll to try and analyze why the poll shook out the way it did and how & if I expect the tables to arrive in TPA. We'll go from worst to first, with a special feature waiting for us at the end, so here we go!
8) Trident: Trident doesn't look like a bad player, but I'm not surprised that it only garnered 7 votes. For starters, the fan layout is not the way to win a pinhead's heart, but other tables can overcome this, so this probably isn't the biggest reason that this fared so poorly. Personally, I find the art a bit strange, even for the era, and also wonder if the table's relative lack of sophistication (it uses the Stern M-100 MPU, while the other 7 tables in the poll all use the Stern M-200 MPU) may have hamstrung it. Still, with at least 2 more seasons of TPA to go, anything is possible...
Best Paired With: Fireball (good contrast of an extremely advanced late-period EM with a relatively simple ESS), Judge Dredd (for contrast of rule depth) or Popeye Saves The Earth (underrated nautical-themed pins UNITE!)
7) Galaxy: Galaxy, I think, was undone by unfortunate timing. Its goal of advancing through the solar system clearly inspired the much more successful Pin*Bot, so Pin*Bot's being on the horizon for much of the poll probably hurt Galaxy's chances immensely. Also, the held multipliers and respawning Sun special place this one a bit on the easy side. Finally, the backglass might not have been everyone's cup of tea, though I personally liked it.
Best Paired With: Asteroid Annie and the Aliens (Class of 1980: Gottlieb & Stern Edition), Jack*Bot (Pin*Bot's progenitor and its progeny in a single pack—need I say more?) or Wild Fyre (Harry Williams' first design for Stern and his first M-100 pin)
6) Nine Ball: Nine Ball's performance was very disappointing for me. Even with all the neat things it had going for it, including offbeat rules, an interesting playfield layout, a killer art package and a fun tutorial video at pinball.org, its reputation as a maintenance queen killed its chances. However, I think that those maintenance problems make Nine Ball a promising candidate for TPA, since this could be the only way for future generations to experience this table as it was meant to be experienced. Do the right thing here, FarSight...
Best Paired With: Eight Ball Deluxe (pool-themed early solid-states FTW!), Safe Cracker (one of the few pins with rules as out there as Nine Ball's) or Sorcerer (one cool-looking wizard deserves another)
5) Star Gazer: I'm not quite sure what to make of this one. Essentially, I think that Star Gazer's downfall was that it was something of a base breaker; if you like drop targets and spinners, youll love this table, but more modern-oriented pinheads will soon find themselves yearning for something a bit more feature-rich. Still, nobody can deny that this table looks hot to trot, with some of the best artwork on any pinball table I've ever seen. This would be a strong packmate for a well-regarded alphanumeric or DMD, but probably couldn't carry a pack on its own.
Best Paired With: Paragon (arguably the best possible single-ball pack), Space Station (for a contrasting space theme) or Stars (naturally)
4) Meteor: Given its origins (the movie this pin was based on just about single-handedly killed the disaster movie trend of the '70s), Meteor did quite well for itself. The ruleset carried this pin, with the handling of the spinner value. Unfortunately, the table's lack of razzle-dazzle compared to the top three tables was probably what did Meteor in. Still, I'm hopeful that we can see this in TPA, perhaps even as its pack's lead table.
Best Paired With: Defender (Two licensed pins in one pack without a Kickstarter? What sorcery is this?), Earthshaker (a fun pair of disaster-themed tables) or TX-Sector (so we can all escape to the disco pinball dimension if the meteor hits)
3) Catacomb: It took me a while to think of a reason why Catacomb would fall behind Seawitch and Flight 2000. Eventually, I decided that its disadvantage compared to Flight 2000 was the fact that getting balls into the capture saucers is more a matter of lucking than locking, while Seawitch has a much more appealing art package than Catacomb's admittedly fairly drab offering. Still, Catacomb drew a large number of people in with the allure of a challenging bonus matrix, an innovative use of the backglass for a post-ball bagatelle mini-game and drop targets galore. Given its strong third-place finish, I think we can expect this in TPA before 2014 is out.
Best Paired With: Big Guns (fun with bagatelles!), Devil's Dare (I defy you to come up with a more metal pack than that) or Tales From the Crypt (Best. Halloween Pack. Ever)
2) Seawitch: The battle between Seawitch and Flight 2000 was a conflict between pinball's past and its present; the latter may have come out out top, but the former didn't make it an easy win. Seawitch's rules are not terribly complicated, but they are quite enjoyable, with good-looking BG & PF art to supplement the package. The Score Lit Bonus mechanic is a brilliant one and makes me wish that bonus collection was more prominent in modern decks. The lack of multiball on Seawitch made it fall just short, but count on this one coming before next spring.
Best Paired With: Black Rose (Who's the queen of the high seas now?), Fathom (A great "terrors of the deep" pack) or Freefall (another great Harry Williams design with a prominent ball lock)
1) Flight 2000: Flight 2000 simply had a more complete package than the rest of the tables on offer. With an interesting multiball sequence, good planetary-themed art, those classic Stern Electronics voices and a design by the late Harry Williams, how could the voters refuse? The one thing holding it back from winning more decisively was the simplistic nature of the multiball, but Flight 2000 is still a worthy start to what is hopefully a long run of classic Sterns in TPA. Congratulations to the champion!
Best Paired With: N/A
Special - Y U NO?) Lightning: How did this one not get into the poll? With a split playfield, PF multipliers, an intriguing bonus ball mechanic and plenty of drops, Lightning really looks like it would be a winner in TPA. In fact, I might have voted for it over Catacomb if it had been in the poll. My only possible guess is that somebody at FS really likes Trident.
Best Paired With: Elektra (plenty of bonus ball fun), Haunted House (two great split-level PFs) or Swords of Fury (killer fantasy pack!)
8) Trident: Trident doesn't look like a bad player, but I'm not surprised that it only garnered 7 votes. For starters, the fan layout is not the way to win a pinhead's heart, but other tables can overcome this, so this probably isn't the biggest reason that this fared so poorly. Personally, I find the art a bit strange, even for the era, and also wonder if the table's relative lack of sophistication (it uses the Stern M-100 MPU, while the other 7 tables in the poll all use the Stern M-200 MPU) may have hamstrung it. Still, with at least 2 more seasons of TPA to go, anything is possible...
Best Paired With: Fireball (good contrast of an extremely advanced late-period EM with a relatively simple ESS), Judge Dredd (for contrast of rule depth) or Popeye Saves The Earth (underrated nautical-themed pins UNITE!)
7) Galaxy: Galaxy, I think, was undone by unfortunate timing. Its goal of advancing through the solar system clearly inspired the much more successful Pin*Bot, so Pin*Bot's being on the horizon for much of the poll probably hurt Galaxy's chances immensely. Also, the held multipliers and respawning Sun special place this one a bit on the easy side. Finally, the backglass might not have been everyone's cup of tea, though I personally liked it.
Best Paired With: Asteroid Annie and the Aliens (Class of 1980: Gottlieb & Stern Edition), Jack*Bot (Pin*Bot's progenitor and its progeny in a single pack—need I say more?) or Wild Fyre (Harry Williams' first design for Stern and his first M-100 pin)
6) Nine Ball: Nine Ball's performance was very disappointing for me. Even with all the neat things it had going for it, including offbeat rules, an interesting playfield layout, a killer art package and a fun tutorial video at pinball.org, its reputation as a maintenance queen killed its chances. However, I think that those maintenance problems make Nine Ball a promising candidate for TPA, since this could be the only way for future generations to experience this table as it was meant to be experienced. Do the right thing here, FarSight...
Best Paired With: Eight Ball Deluxe (pool-themed early solid-states FTW!), Safe Cracker (one of the few pins with rules as out there as Nine Ball's) or Sorcerer (one cool-looking wizard deserves another)
5) Star Gazer: I'm not quite sure what to make of this one. Essentially, I think that Star Gazer's downfall was that it was something of a base breaker; if you like drop targets and spinners, youll love this table, but more modern-oriented pinheads will soon find themselves yearning for something a bit more feature-rich. Still, nobody can deny that this table looks hot to trot, with some of the best artwork on any pinball table I've ever seen. This would be a strong packmate for a well-regarded alphanumeric or DMD, but probably couldn't carry a pack on its own.
Best Paired With: Paragon (arguably the best possible single-ball pack), Space Station (for a contrasting space theme) or Stars (naturally)
4) Meteor: Given its origins (the movie this pin was based on just about single-handedly killed the disaster movie trend of the '70s), Meteor did quite well for itself. The ruleset carried this pin, with the handling of the spinner value. Unfortunately, the table's lack of razzle-dazzle compared to the top three tables was probably what did Meteor in. Still, I'm hopeful that we can see this in TPA, perhaps even as its pack's lead table.
Best Paired With: Defender (Two licensed pins in one pack without a Kickstarter? What sorcery is this?), Earthshaker (a fun pair of disaster-themed tables) or TX-Sector (so we can all escape to the disco pinball dimension if the meteor hits)
3) Catacomb: It took me a while to think of a reason why Catacomb would fall behind Seawitch and Flight 2000. Eventually, I decided that its disadvantage compared to Flight 2000 was the fact that getting balls into the capture saucers is more a matter of lucking than locking, while Seawitch has a much more appealing art package than Catacomb's admittedly fairly drab offering. Still, Catacomb drew a large number of people in with the allure of a challenging bonus matrix, an innovative use of the backglass for a post-ball bagatelle mini-game and drop targets galore. Given its strong third-place finish, I think we can expect this in TPA before 2014 is out.
Best Paired With: Big Guns (fun with bagatelles!), Devil's Dare (I defy you to come up with a more metal pack than that) or Tales From the Crypt (Best. Halloween Pack. Ever)
2) Seawitch: The battle between Seawitch and Flight 2000 was a conflict between pinball's past and its present; the latter may have come out out top, but the former didn't make it an easy win. Seawitch's rules are not terribly complicated, but they are quite enjoyable, with good-looking BG & PF art to supplement the package. The Score Lit Bonus mechanic is a brilliant one and makes me wish that bonus collection was more prominent in modern decks. The lack of multiball on Seawitch made it fall just short, but count on this one coming before next spring.
Best Paired With: Black Rose (Who's the queen of the high seas now?), Fathom (A great "terrors of the deep" pack) or Freefall (another great Harry Williams design with a prominent ball lock)
1) Flight 2000: Flight 2000 simply had a more complete package than the rest of the tables on offer. With an interesting multiball sequence, good planetary-themed art, those classic Stern Electronics voices and a design by the late Harry Williams, how could the voters refuse? The one thing holding it back from winning more decisively was the simplistic nature of the multiball, but Flight 2000 is still a worthy start to what is hopefully a long run of classic Sterns in TPA. Congratulations to the champion!
Best Paired With: N/A
Special - Y U NO?) Lightning: How did this one not get into the poll? With a split playfield, PF multipliers, an intriguing bonus ball mechanic and plenty of drops, Lightning really looks like it would be a winner in TPA. In fact, I might have voted for it over Catacomb if it had been in the poll. My only possible guess is that somebody at FS really likes Trident.
Best Paired With: Elektra (plenty of bonus ball fun), Haunted House (two great split-level PFs) or Swords of Fury (killer fantasy pack!)
Last edited:
Ark Malmeida
New member
- Apr 3, 2012
- 360
- 0
Great post CC13! Love some of the pack pairings you came up with too. Seawitch and Black Rose would be an amazing pack!
Kolchak357
Senior Pigeon
- May 31, 2012
- 8,102
- 2
Fun post to read. Well thought out and interesting ideas for pairings. Love your idea of Seawitch paired with Black Rose or Fathom. That pack would keep me in on a Saturday night.
N
netizen
Guest
Have you been reading the Ultimate Table packs thread i started?
The Black Rose + Sea Witch pack was one of the very first i suggested.
Palmer Eldritch
New member
- Dec 17, 2012
- 429
- 0
Catacomb and TFTC FTW
Indeed I have. I'd like to take a moment to thank you for that particular pack idea. For that matter, I actually might go and post there myself tomorrow...
sotie
New member
- Aug 30, 2012
- 1,123
- 0
DokkenRokken
Banned
- Apr 7, 2014
- 1,384
- 0
This was a pretty close race!
