Playing without trapping?

[Dascoyne]

Like a lot of folks I'm a player with a foundation of basic skills but could use some practice in other aspects of the game. I played real tables from the 1970's (and played more video games by the mid 80's). TPA has been a wonderful discovery for me.

I already know I have to learn nudging. I never learned the skill IRL so I have no natural affinity for it. Unlike IRL playing on iOS requires I take control away from the flippers in order to nudge - so it's been more of a distraction to learn or integrate into my TPA play. As a kid I was not much of a player and just liked to keep the ball in play. I'm a better player today in TPA than I ever was IRL.

While I know how to trap I just don't use it much. It's not because I can't - I can kill the ball and cradle it fairly consistently when I need to. It's just that, for me, trapping the ball just breaks the (mental?) rhythm of my play and I don't have the same instinct that comes with a dynamic field, if that makes any sense. (Remember in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid where Robert Redford couldn't make aimed shots but could shoot the lights out drawing from a holster? -> that's how I usually feel.)

I don't think I score too horribly (~11,887,000,000 on AFM but typically 3,500,000,000-6,000,000,000). Is it just a "mental" thing I have to conquer so I can maintain my groove while trapping a ball? Or is possible to master games without much use of ball trapping or nudging?

Now that I think about it, I would occasionally trap the ball to get a breather if I feel the dynamics of the table are starting to get out my control. More often than not I'll just play it through, though. I probably just don't find it as much fun to trap and I prefer playing through - I probably do get some unnecessary drains as a result, too.

Am I being like the "golfer" who spends all his time on the driving range but ignores his putting game?

I'm just putting that out there because I don't think I've ever discussed pinball with anyone.

Regardless, I have fun and I guess that's the most important thing. I can play and practice indefinitely without losing quarters which is a dream come true for my inner kid.

Thoughts?

Advice?

 

[DrainoBraino]

The thing is, if you don't trap, you are just flipping and hoping most of the time. This is the road to drain city. The trap allows you to set up your shots and hit them consistently.

For some shots you dont have to trap, but you still want the ball to be predictable. example would be when it's rolling down the inlane, you can't trap because it rolls too fast, but you can time the shot so it goes where you want.

 

[Kolchak357]

Some tables are very tough if you don't trap. But I get what you are saying. AFM and Monster Bash are fun to play in rhythm just letting it flow around.

 

[Dascoyne]

Some tables are very tough if you don't trap. But I get what you are saying. AFM and Monster Bash are fun to play in rhythm just letting it flow around.

That's absolutely right. AFM and MM are very amenable to a rhythm game and it's no wonder I put most of my "quarters" into them.

But then I try Centaur and I'm a complete dog.

I think I'm going to work on becoming better rounded so I can play smarter. The great thing is that I don't burn quarters so there's no excuses not to learn. Now that I think about it I did trap a lot in the 70's and 80's on real tables. It's just different getting a feel for it on iOS.

 

[Dascoyne]

The thing is, if you don't trap, you are just flipping and hoping most of the time. This is the road to drain city. The trap allows you to set up your shots and hit them consistently.

For some shots you dont have to trap, but you still want the ball to be predictable. example would be when it's rolling down the inlane, you can't trap because it rolls too fast, but you can time the shot so it goes where you want.

I don't play a complete Hail Mary game. On, say, AFM I still control the ball and slow it with the flippers - but I typically like to keep it in motion - even if slowly.

I just don't often cradle it motionless. But I do think ill work on that part of the game more.

 

[netizen]

Play how you enjoy it, and try to not get bogged down in the mechanics of how you play.

I fell into that rut a while back and it totally sucked the joy out of pinball for a few months. Now I have to remember that I knwo how to do these things, but the only person I am competing against is myself. If it's not fun to play a certain style, why force it?

 

[DrainoBraino]

But then I try Centaur and I'm a complete dog.

Here's a tip for Centaur: Always try to spell ORBS in order. Always. It gives you instant 2 ball multiball. So trap and aim, because you don't want to hit the targets out of order.

I don't play a complete Hail Mary game. On, say, AFM I still control the ball and slow it with the flippers - but I typically like to keep it in motion - even if slowly.

I just don't often cradle it motionless. But I do think ill work on that part of the game more.

Hitting targets on the fly can be strange in TPA. For example, the Gift of Gab shot on Dr Dude is almost impossible to hit on the fly for the left flipper, but trapped to a stop, it can be easily hit.

 

[switch3flip]

Trapping can actually be helpful for flow sometimes. I don't think flow has to be about shooting everything that moves. It can be about sequences, and some shots are just easier from trap, and some shots are actually easier on the go. Like clock loop on ToM. I find it hard to hit from trap. But if the ball finds it way through there anyway, hitting that loop multiple times on the go is much easier. Then on the other hand some shots, like certain backhands for instance, are only possible from trap. Some are easier from a slow roll. Flow is about mixing those things up and choosing the right technique at the right time. But the thing is that the pin itself will stop the ball all the time, a lot of shots are into holes and whatnot. Then it might drop the ball to a flipper from a kickout. If you want to start trapping, this is a good start. Often you can just hold the flipper up or let it bounce to the other flipper then trap at that side. TZ, Funhouse, Ripleys, ToTAN just to name a few. Then you have some multiballs like whirlwind where trapping of one or two balls is an absolutely intended essential part of the strategy of the mode.

 

[jkonami]

My non pinball friends consider this cheating for some reason. I tried to explain that it's not, you're just exerting some control over the table. My buddy I'm thinking of in particular just likes to flip like mad and keep the ball in play for as long as possible; he doesn't aim at all. He can't even use both flippers independently, whereas I trap constantly. Still, sometimes his method will keep him playing longer. On the same note, I picked up Ghost Rider for Pinball FX over the Steam holiday sale, and one of the characters calls you a cheater when you nudge the table. Nudging isn't cheating! Is it?? I think both are necessary if you wanna make any progress on some tables.

 

[Dascoyne]

My non pinball friends consider this cheating for some reason. I tried to explain that it's not, you're just exerting some control over the table. My buddy I'm thinking of in particular just likes to flip like mad and keep the ball in play for as long as possible; he doesn't aim at all. He can't even use both flippers independently, whereas I trap constantly. Still, sometimes his method will keep him playing longer. On the same note, I picked up Ghost Rider for Pinball FX over the Steam holiday sale, and one of the characters calls you a cheater when you nudge the table. Nudging isn't cheating! Is it?? I think both are necessary if you wanna make any progress on some tables.

It's not cheating to nudge or trap. I think if designers thought a little nudging was cheating then, by now, they would have developed more advanced protection than just the standard Tilt.

However I'm pretty sure that using an industrial electromagnet on a table is cheating.

 

[SKILL_SHOT]

traps are important for certain shots and techniques like post transfers on CFTBL almost every shot is from the right flipper and during a multiball you WANT to have a ball trapped with the left while you shoot with the right, this is also a insurance plan on most multiballs so you dont drain every ball all at 1 time enless you can move your eyes like an iguanna

 

[Zaphod77]

On Ghost RIder, Mephisto calls you a cheater because he can't do that.

But in his mode, the only way to make him miss a shot is to nudge.

 

[Robert Hunt]

How often do you see a soccer player one-timing a ball if he can trap it instead? Bowen Kerins compared it to the difference between hitting a pitched baseball versus one that is sitting up on a tee. Now I'm not sure even Barry Bonds could hit a tee-ball out of the park, but in pinball you can make most shots with a trapped ball, so why wouldn't you want to? Take every advantage.

 

[MOO]

As much as I admire players like Keith Elwin and Bowen (and I certainly learn a lot about the table when I watch them play), for sheer adrenaline, I prefer to watch Andrei Massenkoff, who rarely traps the ball, and almost always plays "on the fly"

Here's a nice video of Andrei in action, with commentary from Bowen. At around the 7 minute mark, he talks about Andrei's playing style compared with Keith: http://papa.org/2012/02/09/papa-14-qualifying/

 

[smbhax]

Totally agree MOO, I have a lot more fun watching flow players, and the style can pay off for them--Andrei won PAPA in 2011 playing that way, after all. I like to imagine that players who practice playing flow a lot get better at on the fly shots and just shooting in general than players who play more deliberately...but I have no actual proof of that. ; )

 

[pin pin]

Wonderful topic, traps are important to slow the momentum of a game that's slipping away from your control. However many shots are easier to hit on the fly or from a partial trap.

 

[pin pin]

As for you're flailing non-pinball friend, practicing the trap will sooner than later demonstrate it's effectiveness at scoring. Take-cover-and-aim generally defeats running-out-guns-blazing.

 

[Espy]

My non pinball friends consider this cheating for some reason. I tried to explain that it's not, you're just exerting some control over the table. My buddy I'm thinking of in particular just likes to flip like mad and keep the ball in play for as long as possible; he doesn't aim at all. He can't even use both flippers independently, whereas I trap constantly. Still, sometimes his method will keep him playing longer. On the same note, I picked up Ghost Rider for Pinball FX over the Steam holiday sale, and one of the characters calls you a cheater when you nudge the table. Nudging isn't cheating! Is it?? I think both are necessary if you wanna make any progress on some tables.

I played a two-player game on a whim with a non-pinball friend the other day. At one point he shouted "Just play the game!" at me when I trapped the ball after a few times. I suppose it looks a bit counter-intuitive to people who don't understand how pinball works. They probably think that the best players aim perfectly and never stop the ball,which is far from true.

 

[nstalkie]

Trapping I feel is necessary for a lot of tables. It certainly did improve my scores once I changed to a plan that involved trapping the ball more.
Examples:

- Centaur: as said before, you want to hit O-R-B-S in the correct order. Trapping is the best way to do this. At least for me, shots I try without trapping or slowing the ball considerably have a high chance of ending up in the outlines. I downloaded this table for the tournament. Had a lot of troubling scoring consistently. Trapping the ball made me get a lot better and consistent scores. My score ended in top 10 in the bronze PSN tournament.

- Creature from the Black Lagoon: again, stray shots have a lot of chance to drain (on this table through the center). I can make the snackbar shot from a trapped ball on the left flipper, but I'll only get it 1% of the time or so if I try it "on the fly" (with a high chance of draining the ball). During multiball, the way you get to high points is to build up the multiplier to *4. Easiest way to do that is to trap a ball on the left flipper. Also: once you get the *4 multiplier, you can go for snackbar for either search, rescue or jackpot. My strategy after getting the search, rescue or jackpot is to shoot the ball through the middle ("Move your car") and once it pops out again, transfer it from a dead bounce to the left flipper again. I used to play this table without trapping all that much. My highscore was around 300-400 million I think. For the tournament, I learned to use trapping more ~> 2 billion (actually a really good score, considering I didn't even get the normal jackpot LOL !) I still couldn't do the multiball well, so read up on how the multiball works and the general strategy behind it. After the tournament, I learned to make the snackbar shot better. I have rolled over the score on the table now (which has a bug in local leaderboards btw). I hope it ends up in a tournament again some day (my 2 billion score was already enough to make it to top 10 in the bronze PSN tournament).

- White Water: learning how to cradle can give you insanely good awards during the "Ride the Whirlpool" challenge by trapping a ball on the left flipper. I have gotten over a billion just by doing Ride the Whirlpool.

 

[DrainoBraino]

My non pinball friends consider this cheating for some reason. I tried to explain that it's not, you're just exerting some control over the table. My buddy I'm thinking of in particular just likes to flip like mad and keep the ball in play for as long as possible; he doesn't aim at all. He can't even use both flippers independently, whereas I trap constantly. Still, sometimes his method will keep him playing longer. On the same note, I picked up Ghost Rider for Pinball FX over the Steam holiday sale, and one of the characters calls you a cheater when you nudge the table. Nudging isn't cheating! Is it?? I think both are necessary if you wanna make any progress on some tables.

HAHA it's not cheating! I have been told a few times that nudging or "shaking the machine", as they call it, was cheating too. Although, the average person doesn't realize all the nuances of pinball, or that they even have rule sets and all the wizard modes the newer ones have.