Random Tales of Glory...and Woe

[Espy]

And of course, there the classic - the frantic return to the table trying to flip, as it releases locked balls after the end of the game.

Ah yes. That actually caught me out the other day. My brain was elsewhere at the time, looked like a complete amateur.

 

[Sumez]

I think we've all done it at some point

 

[Sumez]

Not so much woe in this, just a bit of bragging. Probably not a lot to you wizards in here, but to me it was a big thing.
At a tournament yesterday I had terrible plays all day, getting what I thought was a really really low position, TOTAN was one of the "free play" tables for when you weren't competing on your assigned tables, and I had a really hard time controlling the table, making about 5-6 mil on it at most.
But at one point late in the evening when I was really tired and even a bit intoxicated I decided to go back and have a single player game on it.
Suddenly I managed to collect all the jewels and start the wizard mode. I've done this many times on TPA, even several times in a single game, but getting there on the real table was just something completely different, and it's pretty rare that I make it to the wizard mode in anything.

TOTAN really has one of my favourite wizard modes too, and it's just really intense when it keeps dragging out, and you have to -manually- plunge balls all the time. I lost count of how long the battle with the genie went on, and at several points I felt like I was sure to lose (unlike in TPA where it's almost difficult not to win), but in the end I finally made it, all pumped up, with my heart beating really fast, as the flippers turned off and I got the famous "THE END" screen and the princess bonus (enough to get the #2 spot on the table's high score table once I was done), and I saw I had guys standing around the back watching, some of them clapping at me as the genie finally let go. That felt really good, especially after a day of feeling totally unable to play pinball.

 

[Kolchak357]

Good story Sumez. Amazing how that "one more game attitude" can just turn the evening into something to remember.

 

[Jeff Strong]

Sumez, tales of glory are always welcome as well.

 

[ER777]

TOTAN really has one of my favourite wizard modes too, and it's just really intense when it keeps dragging out, and you have to -manually- plunge balls all the time. I lost count of how long the battle with the genie went on, and at several points I felt like I was sure to lose (unlike in TPA where it's almost difficult not to win), but in the end I finally made it, all pumped up, with my heart beating really fast, as the flippers turned off and I got the famous "THE END" screen and the princess bonus (enough to get the #2 spot on the table's high score table once I was done), and I saw I had guys standing around the back watching, some of them clapping at me as the genie finally let go. That felt really good, especially after a day of feeling totally unable to play pinball.

What makes it most impressive to me is that you did it with people around watching. I always seem to choke when someone starts watching, or get distracted by paying more attention to what they're doing than my game. Well done finishing the wizard mode with an audience too.

 

[Sumez]

I didn't notice people were watching, they were standing quite far away. Actually I sort of wished there would have been people watching most of the time - I always get encouraged to play better when someone is cheering for me. In a competition, it's usually the other way around though, even if people are usually good sports and cheering for their opponent.

 

[Espy]

What makes it most impressive to me is that you did it with people around watching. I always seem to choke when someone starts watching, or get distracted by paying more attention to what they're doing than my game. Well done finishing the wizard mode with an audience too.

I'm the opposite. Having someone watch me gives me a huge adrenalin boost. my best games have always been with an audience. Guess I like to show off

 

[SpiffyRob]

Played in a tournament last night. 25 people, format was triple knockout (head to head matches until you lose three times, last man standing wins.)

Won my first three games (X-Men, Funhouse, Shrek) lost the next two (BSD (holy hell that table's brutal) Eight Ball) but then won the next (Eight Ball Deluxe.)

8 people left at the start of round 7. Most had at least one loss. Table for my next matchup... WOZ.

Thankfully, I made a point of playing some WOZ as a warmup before the tournament started, but I still didn't know the table as well as I would have liked for a tourney. Got out to a really solid lead during my second ball when the ball went down the left outlane and into the "There's No Place Like Home" area. (For anyone who doesn't know the table, this is a really cool feature: There are some spot targets and a pop bumper at the bottom of the left outlane. Using the pop bumper and some *gentle* shaking, you want to try to light all five spots and then it starts a mode that, if completed, will allow you to continue on with that ball.)

Got WAY overexcited. Lit all the spot targets and didn't even notice, ended up tilting. My opponent then dropped a good 90k on his ball. I did what I could to make up the lost ground on my last ball, but still ended up 40k or so short.

Definitely frustrating, but it was a pretty great battle regardless. The other matches for that round had concluded, so everyone was gathered around watching us. Lots of handshakes after it was over. It's true: It's more fun to compete.

 

[Sumez]

What's a good score on WOZ? I'm all confused by the low numbers

 

[Espy]

(For anyone who doesn't know the table, this is a really cool feature: There are some spot targets and a pop bumper at the bottom of the left outlane. Using the pop bumper and some *gentle* shaking, you want to try to light all five spots and then it starts a mode that, if completed, will allow you to continue on with that ball.)

...That Zen completely stole on their RotJ table

 

[SydyneBall]

I have a few to share:

WOE!
TPA:
AFM: Being one shot away from rule the universe and not choking once, but two different games, one I had two balls to make the one shot on the saucer!
CFTBL: Every time I get multi ball, missing the left ramp... How can this be, the ball goes up that ramp from either flipper on 99% of my other shots.. missing usually drains a ball...
CENTUAR: Any time I get the bonus all the way up and saved on the first ball, the next two balls drain like they put magnets in the machine. Where did TPA get extra magnets?

Real life:
AFM: Believe it or not, but the last time I played (less then a year ago), I was two mars hits away from rule the universe, and choked.... My nemesis...not meant to rule...
JunkYard: My kid, 14, who has never played a RL game, beat me the first two games..

GLORY!
TPA:
SS: Finishing the spider award in one game. (Kindle fire)
Victory: Last weekend, Getting a little tipsy waiting for time change, decided to fire up TPA. Completed 7 races. Haven't been able to get over 3 since...

Real Life:
Doctor Who: Playing in the retro toy store and watching the people looking at toys beside me jump about 5 feet and turn around when the knocker fired.. Made my smirk.. they 'ran away!'..
RBION: Finding this machine at a regional restaurant, not on pinrebel at the time, and actually being able to play it in RL

 

[SpiffyRob]

What's a good score on WOZ? I'm all confused by the low numbers

For some sense of proportion, the settings on the machine I was on (which I believe were default) were 30,000 for an extra ball, 33,000 for a replay, and the lowest high score (which nobody had reached, I don't think) was 300,000.

 

[Espy]

For some sense of proportion, the settings on the machine I was on (which I believe were default) were 30,000 for an extra ball, 33,000 for a replay, and the lowest high score (which nobody had reached, I don't think) was 300,000.

That is crazy low these days. Practically EM low. Don't they know that we are sheep that need inflated scores for a sense of achievement?

 

[Sumez]

Even the first SS tables had bigger scores than that.

I'm glad that Stern helped "deflate" scoring, but I think they've ended at a good spot where somewhere between 20 and 100 millions is a good game depending on the table you are playing. It makes those high scoring shots feel more rewarding when you can get a million or more in one shot.

 

[smbhax]

On the early WOZ prototype I played a while back, which didn't have much in the way of modes, just getting to 1000 points was something of an achievement. ; ) I got 120K on an updated one the other day, that kind of blew my mind (well that and the crazy LED rainbow strobing in whatever multiball mode that was).

 

[Espy]

Even the first SS tables had bigger scores than that.

I'm glad that Stern helped "deflate" scoring, but I think they've ended at a good spot where somewhere between 20 and 100 millions is a good game depending on the table you are playing. It makes those high scoring shots feel more rewarding when you can get a million or more in one shot.

Avengers was too low scoring for my liking. My record is 15M. Generally get around 5. I know it shouldn't bother me but it leaves me feeling less accomplished...

 

[Sumez]

I know the feeling. I think Spider-Man has the perfect balance, where 100 mil is a good game. 100 mil SOUNDS like a good game. 15 mil doesn't.

 

[LanceBoyle]

Because it just happened...

While trying out the PC TPA on my new compy, at the same time I managed to make one of my best TOTAN games ever. 63M, got to Genie Battle and defeated him, and finally got that damn Harem Multiball!

...however... I somehow didn't manage to get the Genie Multiball jackpot, so I'm still on the standard goals anyway.

 

[Storm Chaser]

I just had my worst game ever, after trying for hours (literally hours) of getting the 500 k bonus goal on Going Nuts I actually raised the timer to 303 seconds but it took the ball longer than 3 hours to drain so I had to continue, only to drain at 240+ something.

Before that I was trying even more for the BFTK goal and had all shots done except for actually just shooting the last ball into the castle. I got a semi-hit and it got to the beginning of the drop-door and went down to drain. Took me weeks more before I finally made it.