Should I give up playing pinball games, particularly TPA ?

[Ton]

Meanwhile I have played about 15 hours, mainly on my PC/TV, but I am still not able to play more than 10 minutes maximum (often even less) on a table before losing all 3 balls. It is really frustrating sometimes. Now I wonder if I should give up playing pinball games or keep practicing more. In other words, is it more or less "normal" and have I played too little or am I not fit for this kind of games ?
I already tried to keep the ball in game by nudging, but mostly I am too late.
Should I keep practicing more, do you have any tips for that ?

 

[dtown8532]

Lasting ten minutes on a real machine is pretty f'in good. How long do you last on the real thing?

 

[DrainoBraino]

You gotta keep practicing!

Pinball is a game of mistakes. Sort of like chess. Anytime a ball drains, think of what you did to cause that ball to drain, and NEVER DO IT AGAIN.

Start targeting every shot. Do not just fling the ball around and expect results. So unless you are saving the ball from a SDTM drain and must flip wildly, go for a target.

Practice nudging on throwaway games. Don't worry about tilting or draining, just nudge the table around and see how the ball reacts. NUDGE EARLY.

 

[Naildriver74]

Pinball is not the easiest game to play for most of us. If it gets to the point where your not having fun anymore that's ok go ahead and quit. I have fun with the challenge of the game and frustration. Don't give up to easy besides Farsight needs your money.

 

[Buzz1126]

If you're playing TPA, there's no reason to give up. It's an excellent, if a bit pricy, way to learn, because the physics of TPA are pretty good. There are things that'll happen in TPA that would NEVER happen in the Real World, but for the most part it's true to life. As for a Real World table (and this is me speaking), if I put my coin in, and like the "feel" of the game, I'll continue to play, even if I don't win. 15 hours? That isn't very long in pinball years! Keep playing...

 

[nstalkie]

No man, don't give up. I don't know how you play, so it's a bit difficult to state what your problems exactly are. So I'm going to assume you play as a beginner in pinball games, which may or may not be the case.

First thing to keep in mind: some tables are a lot harder than others. I'm in the top 100 for some of the tables, ended 5th in the bronze PSN tournament last time, yet I have trouble with some tables. 10 minutes is a very good time on some of the tables out there. Some tables also punish certain stuff harder than others.

Important skills to learn include:
- learning how to stop the ball and hold it on a flipper. This way, you have a LOT more control over the ball and your shots. Try to actually aim most of your shots. This goes hand in hand with making the ball stop.
- learning the "death" shots on certain tables. A shot, were if you miss it, it has a high chance of sending your ball straight to the middle or straight to an outlane. An example is the target left to the right ramp in ST:TNG. You hit it straight on ? Ball will go to the left outlane probably 99% if not 100% of the time. Other death shots may for example be the snackbar in CftBL. It's a shot that has a high chance of losing the ball. You can train to make that one though.
- learning how to nudge. Nudge before it's needed. If you have a table with a playfield that is very open, you should almost never (not to say never) get a ball straight down the middle. Learn which failed shots require nudges. Examples: the left ramp in twilight zone: if you miss that one, you have to nudge or it is very likely the ball will go down the middle. Another example is the left ramp in Terminator 2.
- learning how to get the ball from one side of the table to another. For this you can use several techniques. one is to hold the ball on flipper on side A and immediately flip it, so the ball moves to flipper on side B. Another is "dead" flipper, where you let a ball bounce off a flipper which you don't touch and let the ball bounce unto the flipper on the other side. This is more important to make certain shots than it is to keep the ball in play though.

 

[Ton]

Thanks for the replies.
@dtown8532: At 2nd thought 10 minutes was a bit exaggerated. If all goes very well (more or less), I think it is 3 or 4 minutes
I am rather new to pinball. In the last few years I have tried Visual Pinball and Pro Pinball a few times. I never played real tables.
Although I have both Season 1 and 2 Packs as well as Fish Tales, I mainly played AFM, MM and TZ until now and I have the impression that MM is a bit more forgiving and "easier" than AFM and TZ and that TZ is rather difficult. Am I correct ? And which other tables are somewhat easier for beginners and fun as well ?

 

[Sean DonCarlos]

Although I have both Season 1 and 2 Packs as well as Fish Tales, I mainly played AFM, MM and TZ until now and I have the impression that MM is a bit more forgiving and "easier" than AFM and TZ and that TZ is rather difficult. Am I correct ? And which other tables are somewhat easier for beginners and fun as well ?

The real TZ is rather difficult. TPA's version is not.

More generally, I've reviewed the first 14 DLC Packs and the core tables in terms of difficulty. The writeup for DLC Packs 12 - 14 is here, and links to the earlier tables can be accessed from there. If you don't have time to read through them all, Theatre of Magic is a good one to start on if you're new to the game.

Note to self: Find time to review DLC Packs 15 to 21.

 

[Kolchak357]

Don't let it get you down. Some pins are tougher than others. And some just fit you game better than others. Find a few that you like and keep playing those favorites until you start seeing a little more success. Then branch out to the pins that feel awkward and difficult for you.

 

[Jeff Strong]

Never give up, Never Surrender!

Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!

 

[nstalkie]

An easier table for beginners would be Scared Stiff and it's a really fun one as well IMHO.

I actually find MM quite hard.
I'm good at AFM and very good at TZ (it being my favourite real life table, I'm at place 27 in global leaderboard). I don't have really specific tips for AFM though, I should play the table and note down some of the stuff I do in order to help you out a bit more. I can give tips strategy wise, but that won't help you keep the ball in play longer.

Twilight Zone, I can give you several tips out of my head for how to be able to get better at it. First of all: don't worry, in the beginning it is a very unforgiving table. My tips will be a mix of strategy and how to keep the ball in play longer.
- the most important thing about this table is the slot machine kickout. It performs very predictable in TPA and it's a blessing (the real tables I played have a lot more inconsistent kickouts!). What you will want to do is to keep the right flipper up when the ball will be spit out. This way you can trap the ball on the right flipper. if you want it on the left flipper instead, you can do a dead pass by not doing anything. it'll bounce of the right flipper onto the left one, then hold the left flipper button to trap it on that one. if you try to trap the power ball on the right flipper, it won't work, but it'll go through the right flipper and the left ramp will still be an easy shot. I don't know what happens with the power ball if you try the dead pass on it, I never tried it come to think of it.
- You don't want to make stray shots. You always need aimed shots, so try to trap the ball as much as possible ! I cannot stress this enough for this table.
- the slot machine from the left flipper is a death shot, I basically never go for it.
- the bumpers / dead end is a risky shot as well, I basically never go for it.
- the clock target in between the 2 ramps is risky as well, I basically never go for it.
- shots you want to get good at are the 2 ramps on top of the playfield, the clock (which grants you a door panel, you have to use the left flipper after shooting a ball up on the right ramp) and the camera.
- both ramps can be played from either flipper, practice these shots. To shoot the right ramp from the right flipper, hold the ball perfectly still, then let loose of the flipper and almost immediately flip.
- for the camera I always hold the left flipper up. Because the kickout from the slot machine is so predictable it's a good way to get the ball back into control. When the ball comes out of the bumper area, it can behave a bit unpredictable, so instead go for the camera always.
- for the clock, make sure you can see the left upper flipper properly. If you use a locked screen mode, that flipper isn't as visible, making accurate shots with it a lot harder.
- if the power ball is in play, do what the pinball machine asks you to do ... it wants it back try to shoot it to the gumball machine. It's a very fast ball and can ruin a good game. Another good way to get rid of it is to lock it in multiball lock.
- if the ball doesn't make it all the way unto the left ramp, nudge to the left while it's coming down, to prevent a straight down the middle drain.
- I don't try to get the skill shot most of the time. Only when I'm feeling lucky or if there's an extra ball to be earned by it. The reason is that as mentioned before, when the ball comes out of the bumpers, it can behave a bit unpredictably.
- I usually don't go for the multiball locks either unless the outlines are lit (because it grants a chance of getting a special).

basic strat for the table: you want to get lost in the zone, which is the mode you get after you clear all door panels. it's crazy
the pattern I follow for clearing door panels fast is this:
- clock is lit: try to trap the ball on either flipper, shoot up the right ramp into the clock.
- clock is not lit: shoot for the left ramp to light the clock.
A very easy, but effective strategy. you will also earn a special combo bonus if you do: left ramp, right ramp, clock right after each other. It awards you a door panel. The ball gets spit out of the slot machine after you shoot the clock. I trap it on the right flipper, shoot for the left ramp, right ramp, clock ... rince and repeat. I only rarely stray from this strategy, which can get a bit boring. If you are newer to the game, maybe you should try to get the extra ball when it is lit for example, or try to get the multiball. I get lost in the zone frequently, and during that mode usually a ball ends up there anyway, so I don't bother with it, unless it's an extra ball that goes away after you lose the ball (such as one that is rewarded through the super skill shot). As said: I sometimes do go for the fast lock or the multiball lock when I have outlanes lit.

If you ever get lost in the zone, the last 2 seconds, don't do anything, but keep your flippers up. I once got a ball stuck underneath the top right flipper and it ruined my whole game
if the game appears to get stuck and zoomed in on the gumball machine after lost in the zone, just wait a couple of seconds.

 

[Heretic]

you never really "win" at pinball. thats the best advice i can give

never worry about braggarts and tgere sux hiur games and seeminly imopossibke scores, theyve likely been olaying many years.

keep attacking you personal best and slowly but surely we all improve. it makes countrike look like its for little girls!

the came can and will frustrate you, its not tge ball thst moves but yourself!

ermmm

 

[Fungi]

Apparently in some cases, pinball will jack up typing skills.

 

[Jeff Strong]

Apparently in some cases, pinball will jack up typing skills.

More like booooooze.

 

[Heretic]

its devine advice to read it you must translated it pfffttt orcale at gingi

 

[JefferyD]

Personally I prefer short games! I think my longest game has been 40/45 minutes on Scared Stiff, and another session or two about that long on Cactus Canyon. It's kind of fun to play like that once or twice but, with those two tables, it got to the point where I started disliking them even though they obviously hold a lot of charm for me.

Now, when I get good at a table and it starts lasting more than 20 minutes – and I have the pro version – I switch the extra balls off. Or, if I don't have the pro, I launch any extra ball I get and let it drop.

If you're really slumping, set Big Shot to 3 balls and play ten games in a row. Then any table you switch to will seem like a freaking marathon. That's my trick, anyway.

 

[mmmagnetic]

Meanwhile I have played about 15 hours, mainly on my PC/TV, but I am still not able to play more than 10 minutes maximum (often even less) on a table before losing all 3 balls. It is really frustrating sometimes. Now I wonder if I should give up playing pinball games or keep practicing more. In other words, is it more or less "normal" and have I played too little or am I not fit for this kind of games ?
I already tried to keep the ball in game by nudging, but mostly I am too late.
Should I keep practicing more, do you have any tips for that ?

That´s an easy answer.

Do you have fun while playing? If so, then continue. If not, then quit (and come back some later time).

Also, my personal pro tip: I don´t ever, ever, EVER compare my scores to others. My personal record is all that matters to me, and quite often I don´t even have beating my old record as the main goal. For me, it´s all about the moment-to-moment joy of shooting balls around the playfield, the sounds, the feeling of the physics.

Games should be simply about having fun. Real life is competetive enough. I´m aware that there are very different personality types of people who enjoy pinball, but I just never even get into the mindset that would make these games frustrate me. It´s all about the journey, as cheesy as that sounds. Some people are just all about the leaderboards, and I guess I can understand that on some theoretical level, it´s just that I discovered that that´s "not me" at all. Pinball is actually quite a bit too random if you´re the uptight "always play to win" kinda guy, unlike, say, chess or Street Fighter or whatever. I personally love pinball because of the feel of the tables, the art, the playfield designs, the great feeling when shots go exactly as planned.

It´s easy to fall into the trap of cramping up, of clinging to some kind of achievement. Don´t strain yourself - you will automatically get better soon enough, that´s just the nature of habit forming. I used to really suck at aiming, shooting combos or nudging, now it comes without even thinking about it - but I never really "tried hard" to become better. It just happened.

Just have fun and put your worries to rest! Don´t ruin your joy by overthinking it.

 

[switch3flip]

If you want a game to last forever, cradle a ball on the flipper and hold it for as long as you wish no but seriously, it's a game of strategy and calculated risks. Avoid risky shots and catch and hold the ball as much as you can. Not even the best pros would play more than a couple of minutes if they would never trap the ball. Wild play is fun but very risky. Find safe shots that work for you and learn how to catch the ball from kickouts. Almost all kickouts have ways of letting you catch and hold the ball. Its usually enough to just hold the flipper up or let the ball bounce on one flipper to the other then you hold that flipper up. When the ball comes back to your flipper through a side lane, like return from ramp shot, don't shoot right away, instead hold up the flippers and up-nudge. The ball will jump over to the other flipper and most often stay there if you continue to hold the flipper up. But then also different tables reward different styles. Watch some videos on papa.org to get an idea on how to take on pinball machines. But it's very much stop and go. Not go, go, go.

 

[DrainoBraino]

That´s an easy answer.

Do you have fun while playing? If so, then continue. If not, then quit (and come back some later time).

I like this answer. For me, pinball is fun, that's why I pay it.

Good tips here, but I don't think anyone mentioned this one: LEARN THE RULES OF THE TABLE. Pick one table and learn the rules as completely as possible, read a strategy guide or tips on that particular table.

 

[Fungi]

LEARN THE RULES OF THE TABLE.

This is a great one. Centaur got SO good after I learned the rules.