My impressions as a TZ machine owner

[neurokinetik]

OP is spot on here. My personal TZ was pretty easy for quite a while as I put alot of effort into getting everything working properly, especially that slot machine kickout. Since I've moved,the machine has become brutally difficult, and it's mostly because it has become the "drunken Nolan Ryan" that the OP mentioned (great analogy, btw).

I have a great deal of difficulty with the TPA version of TZ mostly because the slot machine kickout seems very lethargic compared to my real machine when it is working properly (temperature definitely plays a role, it is better when it is warm). I seem to be very good at hitting the greed target below the yellow bumper and draining stdm, about 75% of the time. Also, I'm not used to the ball actually staying in the rocket kicker and not dribbling out, something my machine has always tended to do, no matter how many times I adjust it.

Also, if they really want to make this simulation accurate, they need these three things :

The rocket kicker dribble-out (mine does this about 75% of the time)
The powerfield diverter bounce and subsequent knocking the ball stdm (i've purposely left mine very "sloppy" in operation so that the slop absorbs the ball impact and it doesn't bounce.)
The random reset when you get a ball on the powerfield during LITZ or Powerball mania (now that I think about it, it's probably getting about due to pull off all the connectors and put them back on again to "clean them up").

 

[vikingerik]

I have a great deal of difficulty with the TPA version of TZ mostly because the slot machine kickout seems very lethargic ... I seem to be very good at hitting the greed target below the yellow bumper and draining stdm

Are you attacking the ball immediately from the kickout? Don't do that in TPA. (On any kickout on any table.) Just hold the right flipper, or dead pass and hold the left flipper, either way you can automatically catch the ball on either side for full control.

Obviously real TZs aren't always that friendly, but on the few I've played, dead passing usually seems to be the safest thing to do with the slot kickout.

 

[superpin]

The rocket kicker dribble-out (mine does this about 75% of the time)
The powerfield diverter bounce and subsequent knocking the ball stdm (i've purposely left mine very "sloppy" in operation so that the slop absorbs the ball impact and it doesn't bounce.)
The random reset when you get a ball on the powerfield during LITZ or Powerball mania (now that I think about it, it's probably getting about due to pull off all the connectors and put them back on again to "clean them up").

1. Put a post instead of a screw just above the kicker, it will slow down the ball enough to stay in the kicker. No rubber on the post!
2. You can glue a magnet to the diverter to fix this.
3. Bad capacitors and/or diodes, all wpc games suffer from this when they get old enough.

And I agree, its very hard to compare a real game with the TPA version since two real games never play the same.

 

[neurokinetik]

One thing that I really miss in the TPA version is the sound of a ball hitting the scoops, especially on a hard shot. The kaCHUNK you get on a successful piano or camera shot on the real machine is something the TPA version needs.

 

[Zaphod77]

Here's how to fix TZ"s difficulty.

1) Boost the power of that slot machine.
2) make the flippers bouncier.

Possibly only one of these will be needed.

You developers.. try doing this. see how much harder TZ becomes.