Playing without trapping?

[brakel]

I've played many machines where you couldn't trap or couldn't hit a particular shot because the flipper was broken in some way. I used to play a Medieval Madness in a bar near where I worked at the time that was in really great working condition except that the right flipper didn't return all the way down. It made hitting the catapult impossible from a trap. The owner of the bar did his own repairs and he didn't have the part that needed replacing. I could hit ť catapult all day from a right flipper trap and I loved barn yard madness. I finally figured out that I could hit the castle then when the ball came down the left side do a dead pass to the right flipper then with the right timing hit the ball just before it got to the broken flipper and BAM! The owner of the bar bought me a beer for teaching him how to hit the catapult with the broken flipper!

I think it's good to know how to trap and how to flow. Most multiballs are a lot of flow shots for me but sometimes it really pays to trap one ball in a two ball multiball. For me learning when to flow and when to trap is just another skill to learn on a table.

 

[PoSTedUP]

i usually play flow, i like learning how to hit the ball accurately on the fly. i usually only trap when i need to occasionally (e.g. hitting the millon in Taxi etc.)

 

[soundwave106]

Trapping is a "it depends" type of thing to me. Sometimes it really is better to "flow" and not trap (because it's easier to get more power on some non-trapped shots, and many times the ball is flying too fast to trap). Downside is less control.

Some tables, you really have to do a lot of trapping to do well, I think. Some are more "flow" oriented -- my personal preference is for the "flow" tables to be honest...

 

[Buzz1126]

Trapping, nudging, passing, cradling, aiming are all part of the game! In both video mode and real life there are tables you MUST use some or all of these techniques. While "flow" may feel right for you, it's like being in a swim meet. You jump in and flail your arms around while those around you use a stroke. You might move a little, but every other swimmer is moving faster and in a straight line. Your technique may win you games or extra balls, but those that nudge and/or trap will win more of each on a regular basis.

 

[Deltaechoe]

I used to play like you, OP, but I eventually started to trap and aim a lot more. Flow players (like you and me) don't like to trap all that often because it can mess up the rhythm of the game, but there are some instances where it is really beneficial, especially on the harder tables (fish tales for instance, you will need to trap to get a high score). Once I found a balance between flow and caution, I started to make the weekly leaderboards consistently and on some tables getting into the top 50 of all time. So you don't have to give up rapid combo shots entirely, just make sure that you can also effectively play cautious and always trap the ball if it starts going too fast, unless you can consistently do drop stops, then do that instead (those are tricky to use effectively, especially on TPA)

 

[switch3flip]

About nudging, it definitely is not cheating. In fact, it's the original way of playing pinball. The earlier pinball machines didn't even have flippers, you were supposed to nudge the ball into different paths. Take a look at the EM tables in TPA. The flippers are smaller and the gameplay is much more about nudging. Then the whole TILT system incorporated in pinball. You have different settings as to how sensitive you want the table to be. You get a set amount of warnings before you tilt, which on some tables even can be rewards. Like on Dr Dude, you can get an extra tilt warning as a random reward.

And another thing about trapping. It sure takes away some randomness out of playing, but in the long run pinball is much about statistics. What are my shot percantages for this and this shot, and what are the rewards. Very much like poker. You could try and go for a royal straight flush every hand, but you don't have to be a genious to figure out that is pretty stupid. Some people would call trapping boring and some would call it smart and sophisticated.

 

[Dascoyne]

I used to play like you, OP, but I eventually started to trap and aim a lot more. Flow players (like you and me) don't like to trap all that often because it can mess up the rhythm of the game, but there are some instances where it is really beneficial, especially on the harder tables (fish tales for instance, you will need to trap to get a high score). Once I found a balance between flow and caution, I started to make the weekly leaderboards consistently and on some tables getting into the top 50 of all time. So you don't have to give up rapid combo shots entirely, just make sure that you can also effectively play cautious and always trap the ball if it starts going too fast, unless you can consistently do drop stops, then do that instead (those are tricky to use effectively, especially on TPA)

As much as I like to indulge in flow it keeps me effective in only a handful of tables. I'm starting to venture out of my comfort zone. Thanks.

 

[Zaphod77]

On the one hand, learnig to trap is very helpful.

On the other hand you can't always trap, and then you NEED to take a shot on the fly.

So you need to know how to do both.

Half way in between that is shooting after a ramp.

Sometimes a shot is nearly impossible from a trap, so you have to shoot it on the fly.

 

[vikingerik]

Wizard of Oz has a "No Hold Flippers" multiball round, which is exactly what it sounds like, meaning you can't trap the balls. I found this quite annoying, especially since there's no ball saver to compensate if the screwy conditions make you lose both balls together (see Strobe Multiball, or Reverse Frenzy in Pro Pinball Timeshock.) Trapping is entirely a part of pinball. I hate having to suppress that instinct when playing an older game that can't do traps like say Haunted House.

 

[Fungi]

Wizard of Oz has a "No Hold Flippers" multiball round, which is exactly what it sounds like, meaning you can't trap the balls.

Wait, what? How do they accomplish that? Do the flippers let go if you hold them up too long?

 

[vikingerik]

Yes, the flippers let go immediately after flipping. You have to release the button and press again to flip again. They don't stay up.