Death Save: Manliest Move in Pinball

[Clawhammer]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfFLk2aXW1c

Raise your hand if you catch the Leo Daniels reference.

 

[Bass Mummy]

To be honest, I've never even attempted one, much less pulled one off. I've read they're really rough on tables.

 

[Kevlar]

That's awesome.

 

[Richard B]

To be honest, I've never even attempted one, much less pulled one off. I've read they're really rough on tables.

Yeah, most do it by kicking the table leg, though there is apparently a more effective way. Wish he would have spent less time joking around, and more time explaining exactly how he did it.

And no, I do not get the Leo Daniels line. Please explain.

 

[Clawhammer]

Leg kicking is one way to death save, but generally the most frowned upon as leg bending is definitely possible (I've seen it!); that's the quickest way to make enemies with an operator. The way I do death saves, and it's sort of hard to explain, is as the ball is approaching the left side of the drain, you give the game a quick move to the left and then a hard shove up and to the right to use the balls momentum to bounce off the left side of the drain area. How much force is needed really depends on the game and how the area under the flippers is constructed... for some games, it's nearly impossible without shoving the game into the wall, on others, a lot of Data East games being good examples (Lethal Weapon 3 is being used in that video), it's fairly easy and requires minimal force. There are games, especially pre DMD games, where death saving isn't possible. I tend not to death save much, as it can be damaging to the machine, and most operators/home owners are none too fond of it. An arcade I used to play at in Portland, OR actually had a "no death saves" sign.

The Leo Daniels thing refers to this wacky classic arcade champion that holds the world record on Centipede I think? He was featured in the documentary "Chasing Ghosts." Anyways, he did this series of videos for expert village where he absolutely butchers common pinball techniques. Here's the link, the "death save" explanation being at the end: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTRs6xH-msc
Here's Leo Daniel's interpretation of a drop catch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J32HXfIL0vo

 

[Chris Dunman]

If you own the machine, you'll probably steer clear. If you don't, you'll probably be steered clear

 

[Pinballwiz45b]

Almost made one at the bowling alley, using the non-harmful way (as in kicking the leg).

 

[Metalzoic]

Those Leo Daniels videos are painful to watch. I was cringing with embarrassment for the guy.

 

[Sean DonCarlos]

Even if you don't kick the leg, death saves often scratch the hell out of the floor (or tear the carpet) beneath the machine. As far as the machine itself, most of them can tolerate the non-kicking variety of death save, but I still wouldn't do it on any machine I didn't own. (And actually, I wouldn't do it on any machine I did own, simply because they're not allowed in tournament play.)

 

[neglectoid]

yay, i have been a man before.

 

[neglectoid]

I pulled one off last night during the tourney on TOM. I try them regularly on TPA and have always been unsuccessful.

 

[k88dad]

You can often accomplish a death save with a good shove forward on the pin. Doing it with one hand can be tough on the wrist, so let the hand holding the flipper up help out.

Visual Pinball implements a key (T) for bang back (AKA death save.) I assume the T is for tilt. It acts as an unusually strong up nudge.

"I don't always attempt bang backs, but when I do, I make sure the pin is on a cement floor." --The world's most interesting man​

 

[norbert26]

i never knew what these were called . Well i knew a guy in college that beating EBD in the college game room. he was an expert and could pull 3 or 4 death saves in a day on a quarter. He would rack the credits up to the max of 15. One day the operator walks in to empty the coin box and sees him with 15 credits racked up and one of his death saves operator let it go but wasn't very pleased with it.

 

[neglectoid]

I pulled one off last night during the tourney on TOM. I try them regularly on TPA and have always been unsuccessful.

I guess what I actually pulled off was actually called a bang back. it came down from the left lane at a fairly slow speed. I lifted up my left flipper and then nudged that machine down and then up rapidly, sending it to the right flipper.

 

[Mark W**a]

Easier on a Stern. You'd need to be Hulk Hogan to do it on Twilight Zone Star Trek or other heavy BW wide body.

Talking about moving entire machine in a zig zag motion, not leg kicking or wrist shoving.