Pinball misconceptions that get on your nerves

[pezpunk]

What really fracks me off is when a TV episode or movie plays the stock "chimes" sound to indicate there are pinball machines somewhere.

Unless the arcade is the bloody Pinball Hall of Fame, and there is an EM or early SS in shot, *don't* use crappy chime sound archive files.

Please, and thank you.

haha throughout the 80s and 90s and even into the 2000s, EVERY time a kid was shown playing a video game, even if it was like, Doom or Mortal Combat or something, the sound effects would be Atari 2600 Pac-Man.

 

[netizen]

This may be the justification, but it isn't a valid excuse. It is, in fact, just laziness.

A 30 second grab from a pinball machine would not cost much to clear.

The annoying thing is that in many scenes containing ambient arcade sounds, most of these scenes you can hear soundtracks from video games playing in the backgroud clearly. But pinball gets Tri-Chimes.

L. A. Z. Y.

It's more likely because the ambient noise wasn't miced and everything was added as foley during the ADR process step of Post production. It;s not lazy it's a matter of balancing resources. In order to get the environmental sounds from an arcade during shooting they would require a lot of miccing and then it would have to be synced to the vocal performers and the extraneous F/X that are being used in the scene, ti is a lot of work for something that is of little value when you add in the extra cost of copyrighted dialogue and sound calls on already licensed products.

Most video game f/x sounds that are added are usually simple fm synth stabs run through a filter after the fact, they are already digital noise, and relatively easy for a sound engineer to emulate by ear. tri-chimes are a classic sound that means pinball to a much larger range, demographically.

A 30 sec grab a single pinball machine, multiplied by n machines in the scene adds up to costs that are not considered by the producers. Hell, most producers barely even consider the licensing costs for the music they want to use in the scenes, let alone incidental things like sound f/x. That is where the standardized sound f/x libraries come in.

 

[jaredmorgs]

It's more likely because the ambient noise wasn't miced and everything was added as foley during the ADR process step of Post production. It;s not lazy it's a matter of balancing resources. In order to get the environmental sounds from an arcade during shooting they would require a lot of miccing and then it would have to be synced to the vocal performers and the extraneous F/X that are being used in the scene, ti is a lot of work for something that is of little value when you add in the extra cost of copyrighted dialogue and sound calls on already licensed products.

Most video game f/x sounds that are added are usually simple fm synth stabs run through a filter after the fact, they are already digital noise, and relatively easy for a sound engineer to emulate by ear. tri-chimes are a classic sound that means pinball to a much larger range, demographically.

A 30 sec grab a single pinball machine, multiplied by n machines in the scene adds up to costs that are not considered by the producers. Hell, most producers barely even consider the licensing costs for the music they want to use in the scenes, let alone incidental things like sound f/x. That is where the standardized sound f/x libraries come in.

Fair points, when put in the context of work vs return.

 

[Alex Atkin UK]

It gets on my nerves when people say nudging the table is cheating.

To be fair, I suspect that the machine manufacturers originally considered it cheating and only adopted it as professional players were using it.

Its a lot like using a glitch in a video game to boost your score, reduce your lap time, etc. It becomes acceptable merely because "everyone does it" and so patching it out would actually kill the experience and require wiping the hiscores.

With pinball it would be near impossible to prevent it anyway as if you set the nudge sensors that high then even getting a little enthusiastic or someone walking past knocking the table, could completely ruin your game.

As for the magnets myth (which is the most common misconception I have come across), it still amazes me how the ball can seem to be almost entirely in the inner lane and then bounce out and drain down the outer one. I wonder how much is just an optical illusion?

 

[stevevt]

To be fair, I suspect that the machine manufacturers originally considered it cheating and only adopted it as professional players were using it.

I don't think this is true. Pinball started out as a flipperless game, and nudging was the only way to influence where the ball went. While not all players of these flipperless games nudged, it would make sense to assume that most did. So, manufacturers have been aware of nudging pretty much as long as pinball has been pinball.

The tilt was invented in 1932.
http://dialspace.dial.pipex.com/poa/tilt.htm
And it was invented to keep players from hammering the ever-living **** out of a game, rather than to keep them from merely nudging the table.

 

[Timelord]

I don't think this is true. Pinball started out as a flipperless game, and nudging was the only way to influence where the ball went. While not all players of these flipperless games nudged, it would make sense to assume that most did. So, manufacturers have been aware of nudging pretty much as long as pinball has been pinball.

The tilt was invented in 1932.
http://dialspace.dial.pipex.com/poa/tilt.htm
And it was invented to keep players from hammering the ever-living **** out of a game, rather than to keep them from merely nudging the table.

This is true. The tilt mechanisms are adjustable, it would have been easy to make a no tolerance nudge detector.

The tilt was not only to protect the mechanism, but also to add some skill into the game. Sure you can nudge, but too much in "the heat of the moment" and TILT.

Timelord ...

 

[Roo]

It's a game of luck.

Yes. Many people seem to think it's entirely luck-based. Goes along with not realizing the depth of the game (particularly modern tables). Thus they think I'm weird for being so obsessed with such a "simple" thing. In their mind it's probably like playing slot machine with no money on the line or something.

This is a pet peeve for TV shows. Two people are clearly playing an Xbox 360... beep beep boop boop. No.

Likewise, the actors are usually mashing every button on the controller as fast as they possibly can non-stop. Because clearly that means they are trying harder and thus will perform better at the game. Timing and decision-making is not important...

... tri-chimes are a classic sound that means pinball to a much larger range, demographically...

Good points about costs, but this is a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy. If they keep doing this, people will continue to view at as this "old" thing from the '60s or whatever and it isn't doing the hobby any favors. We are just getting to the point where video games are gaining acceptance in mainstream media as something "normal" people do (breaking free of the "lonely geeks in their parents' basement stereotype"). Characters in shows and movies actually just play games sometimes, and it doesn't have to be integral to the plot or even mentioned at all sometimes. Pinball could likewise use more positive attention.


Another more minor annoyance is when people complain that they had "no chance" to save a ball because it drained down the middle out of reach of the flippers. Usually this was caused by a missed shot by them in one way or another. Tables are designed to reward correct shots. Usually made shots won't cause you to lose the ball. As Mr. Data says, "Had you propelled the ball on the proper trajectory..."

 

[LanceBoyle]

Likewise, the actors are usually mashing every button on the controller as fast as they possibly can non-stop. Because clearly that means they are trying harder and thus will perform better at the game. Timing and decision-making is not important...

But don't you know? That's how vidyagaemz work!!11!1!

(sarcasm)

And I've actually seen the same thing but with a pinball machine in one show, can't recall which, but some kid was playing some random EM, and after "losing" he exclaimed "this game sucks!" Because pinball machines are the same as an arcade game

 

[Espy]

One thing I found interesting when I was watching a friend play TPA last week. I pointed out to him "make that shot one more time and you'll get multiball". He replied "Does that use up my remaining balls?"

Wow, imagine if pinball was like that. Multiball would be suicide.

 

[superballs]

One thing I found interesting when I was watching a friend play TPA last week. I pointed out to him "make that shot one more time and you'll get multiball". He replied "Does that use up my remaining balls?"

Wow, imagine if pinball was like that. Multiball would be suicide.

Not suicide...galaga

 

[chucktee]

Not exactly. There were certain types of pinball machines during the Great Depression and in the 1940's and I think the early 50's too that were called "payout pinball" games i.e. they paid out money if certain scores were achieved. These along with the bingo style pinballs introduced by Bally in the 1950's as well led to pinball getting a very bad rap until the U.S. federal court decision in the 1956 United States vs Korpan declared flipper pinball machines as games of skill as opposed to the bingo/payout/other types of pinball games which were declared games of chance; in other words in the eyes of the law a bingo-type pinball was looked at as being similar to a slot machine whereas a flipper type pinball was an amusement device. Hope that cleared things up a little bit for everybody.

 

[Shaneus]

Not suicide...galaga

Fuuuuuck, I want that in pinball. Why hasn't that been done in pinball?

Totally designing a machine that does that.

Fun fact: Some of my local location machines already do that kinda with a broken sensor so there's always two balls in the trough. Stupid games.

 

[Zombie Aladdin]

TV Tropes actually has a list of sightings and exceptions of video game noises being 8-bit stuff: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PacManFever

The biggest reason behind outdated noises in gaming, for video/computer gaming and pinball alike, is simply because people who go into the entertainment business tend to be focused entirely in the movies, TV shows, literature, etc. that they work on. That is, for the most part, they have no other interests. At least, this is my impression having worked in Hollywood.

Video game sounds as bleeps and bloops are starting to die out though, as gamers move into making these TV shows and movies and make sure the rest of the production team knows these are not how video games sound. In addition, marketing for video games have become more aggressive and hammer home the fact that modern games are full of orchestral pieces, lots of voice acting (and often by celebrities or professional voice actors with resumes miles long), intricate storylines, and foley artists just as good as the ones in Hollywood.

Pinball is too niche for there to be someone influential in the system, at least influential enough to make sure the production team inserts in proper sounds. You have hardly anybody in the business into pinball, and pinball rarely ever comes up in the media. Of course, if you DO put in realistic sounds, then you run the risk of audiences being unable to identify the ambient noise as pinball.

That being said, the way pinball is visually depicted is catching up. When assembling sets, you will often see machines from the 80s and upwards because those are the easiest ones to obtain and are in frequent circulation between owners. (Incidentally, if you ever look up these cases, the machines are also always plugged in for anyone working on the project to play.)

Definitely, the most notable case of pinball in recent fiction I've seen is a Gravity Falls episode (a cartoon on the Disney Channel--I mentioned it in another topic). Soos, the guy playing the machine, is shown trapping a ball when he wants to explain somethig to the kids in the room. The machine also has high-quality audio voiceovers, habitrails, something labeled as "Quick Ball," and a manufacturer of "Ballway Games." That being said, every character refers to nudging as "tilting," and Soos considers it cheating, and for some reason, Ballway Games is headquartered in Redmond, Washington.

The Mario Kart DS course Waluigi Pinball also has some rather complex habitrails that make up the majority of the racetrack and has absolutely no pinball chimes at all. Instead, it uses the synthesized noises prevalent in early solid state machines, to where other sound effects get changed to these sounds just for this course.

And for the record, pinball misconceptions do not get on my nerves (maybe except "they're all the same"), as I know I used to have most of these misconceptions myself.

People think pinball is all about reflexes, and the best players never need to stop the ball. If you don't trap your aiming skill is almost zilch, and the ball will quickly get out of control and drain. Fact. It kind of ties back my first point about thinking they are much simpler than they are.

I'm surprised people you know figured pinball could get competitive. Most people I know believe getting a high score is all luck, nothing else, and that the only skill involved is predicting ball trajectories. (I did mention that, until last year, I thought nudging was cheating, and so do many other people I meet.)

Honestly, there aren't that many that do get on my nerves. Most of them originate from people just having not seen any of them around since their respective childhoods. Better still, the vast majority are more than open to have their misconceptions shattered than continue to believe in them. Find these people, shout them a few games and show them a thing or two

Hell, I'm sure there are stacks of things I have misconceptions of that people would think are laughably stupid or just downright ignorant... hopefully not enough to peeve anyone off, though!

That is definitely what I most commonly see. They have misconceptions, but they will accept that they're wrong because it's no big deal to not be knowledgeable about pinball.

And the fact that I had so many misconceptions before I started playing tells me that I probably have a mountain of misconceptions for everything I don't know much about.

-People that think starting multiball is "beating/finishing the game"
-"The ball got stuck so I broke the glass and and stole the ball." ....yea that happened

To be fair, in a lot of machines from the 80s, multiball IS the end goal and is the last thing you do before everything starts over.

As for the latter, the most I typically see is people carving graffiti on the glass. I've only ever seen one physically abused machine on location, a Simpsons Pinball Party in Laguna Niguel that looks like someone took a baseball bat to its legs.

The best strategy is to bash the flipper buttons repeatedly. Just because it works on some fighting games doesn't mean it works for everything!

Heh, I'm guessing you've seen or heard some remarks from fighting game people about button-mashing, huh?

And I've actually seen the same thing but with a pinball machine in one show, can't recall which, but some kid was playing some random EM, and after "losing" he exclaimed "this game sucks!" Because pinball machines are the same as an arcade game

They ARE arcade games. That's what they originally were, and because of their physical nature, they still are.

Fuuuuuck, I want that in pinball. Why hasn't that been done in pinball?

Totally designing a machine that does that.

Fun fact: Some of my local location machines already do that kinda with a broken sensor so there's always two balls in the trough. Stupid games.

Is that what happens to them? Anotherwise perfectly-working Terminator 2 I played on was screwed up because of that, especially since I'd have to aim the cannon and work the flippers simultaneously.