The "what does machine build quality mean to you?" thread

[Zombie Aladdin]

TSPP is in a uniquely bad place in the intersection of mechanical complexity and huge beatings on location from the theme attracting lots of kids who just violently bang on the flippers constantly. South Park can have the same problem but there's less on it to break. If Williams had made machines that attracted hordes of hyperactive ten-year-olds, they'd be broken too.

BTW, TSPP isn't all that beginner unfriendly. The garage door isn't hard to open and shoot with random unskilled whacks, and then you get to bang around the upper playfield for a while. And since locked balls carry over game to game, multiball can sometimes start with just one shot. Itchy multiball is also easy.

Not just little kids, but people of all ages. The Simpsons appeals to every age range and demographic (maybe except really old people), and thus The Simpsons Pinball party does too. I actually more often see adults walking up to it, and they will zero in on it over any other machine if no one's already there. It's the same thought process where parents buy licensed video games for their kids based on whatever was the last movie they saw, even though these games are almost always terrible. Also, adults will bang on the flippers violently too, though not as rapidly or as roughly as the kids.

I do think The Simpsons Pinball Party is beginner-unfriendly. Game times are substantially shorter on it than most other machines. To progress anything takes at least three or four steps or at least one good, clean shot (remember that if the ball is too slow going into the garage, it will go to the left orbit instead), and combined with the low scoring, can give the impression that they failed to accomplish anything. The game constantly tells you to shoot for some specific shot, and even if the person at the machine knows what an "orbit" is, it is still pressure on the beginner that he or she cannot handle. A number of shots also go up the middle then back down (the garage, Kwik-E-Mart, bullies, failed right ramps, Bart) and require good judgment on the ball's trajectory and/or nudging. And the kickout for the Itchy & Sratchy scoop is fast, and I've seen many, many people caught off guard by it and drain the ball that way.

Stern has had much questionable build quality. Looking under the hood, the playfield was (and may still be) a lot thinner than the wood used on other tables. Wires are often a mess and not bundled or orderly. I've heard stories of poor soldering and loosely connected parts and wires. I think they have become better over the last few years. I definitely have hated the poorly done art. It looks like someone hastily took random photos and plopped them wherever. Metallica is so refreshing for the original artwork and hopefully a sign of things to come. They are getting better but they have a real heap of issues with their tables, especially after converting from sega to stern.

I see. So some of these issues people talk about regarding quality cannot be seen until you actually lift the thing up and look at its insides. Unless it causes more electrical failures, then that wouldn't really concern those who play it in public much, though I can see how the messy wiring would make it harder to repair.

 

[Sean DonCarlos]

I still haven't seen a WoZ in person, but I've heard that thing is really built solid. Hopefully I'll see sometime soon.

In terms of the mechanical components themselves, a Wizard of Oz is top-notch. In the connections and electrical department...not so much, I'm afraid. All three of the ones I've seen on location here have been plagued by flaky microswitches and substandard electrical work.

(In partial defense, however, having the entire 26" LCD monitor to use for the operator's diagnostic menus makes running tests and interpreting the results much easier than any other machine I've come across.)

 

[Redrazorback64]

In terms of the mechanical components themselves, a Wizard of Oz is top-notch. In the connections and electrical department...not so much, I'm afraid. All three of the ones I've seen on location here have been plagued by flaky microswitches and substandard electrical work.

(In partial defense, however, having the entire 26" LCD monitor to use for the operator's diagnostic menus makes running tests and interpreting the results much easier than any other machine I've come across.)

THIS. The one I played probably blew a fuse while we were playing and blacked out all of the lights in one section of the playfield. Other than that, the table felt great and was a lot of fun.

 

[Bowflex]

In terms of the mechanical components themselves, a Wizard of Oz is top-notch. In the connections and electrical department...not so much, I'm afraid. All three of the ones I've seen on location here have been plagued by flaky microswitches and substandard electrical work.

(In partial defense, however, having the entire 26" LCD monitor to use for the operator's diagnostic menus makes running tests and interpreting the results much easier than any other machine I've come across.)

That's too bad to hear. The one at Pinball Wizard Arcade works perfect but the owner and her staff are all about keeping their machines maintained in amazing condition without any malfunctions. They probably did lots of wiring and soldering after the machine came on property. This is really unfortunate as I have been (and will probably continue to be) looking forward to purchasing a JJP table once I live in a bigger place. Hopefully they can get their stuff together by the time the Lawlor table starts being produced.

 

[jaredmorgs]

In terms of the mechanical components themselves, a Wizard of Oz is top-notch. In the connections and electrical department...not so much, I'm afraid. All three of the ones I've seen on location here have been plagued by flaky microswitches and substandard electrical work.

(In partial defense, however, having the entire 26" LCD monitor to use for the operator's diagnostic menus makes running tests and interpreting the results much easier than any other machine I've come across.)

Not having seen the operator menu on a WoOz, I will take your word for it.

The Pin2K diagnostic menu could probably be considered a beta of the WoOz menu. It was awesome with fault detection and analysis. The fact the driver board also had LED indicators for good fuses was also a first for pinball.