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The "what does machine build quality mean to you?" thread
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<blockquote data-quote="Zombie Aladdin" data-source="post: 145230" data-attributes="member: 4242"><p>I'm trying to look into what makes a table good or bad. People seem to typically be incredibly vague about them. <em>Austin Powers</em> comes to mind in particular about a game a lot of people dislike. It borrows a lot from <em>Medieval Madness</em> and <em>Monster Bash</em>, two very well-liked games. I have yet to play on a good-condition one, but I don't understand why it's so badmouthed.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Yes, that's a good one for beginners too, though you have to make sure it's at a setting appropriate for whoever's going to play it, it being <em>South Park</em> and all. I hear <em>South Park</em> collectors are snapping them up rapidly though. That being said, ease is not the only factor I use in determining if it's good for someone who has never played real pinball before. They are:</p><p></p><p>1. Ease - How long can a person keep playing it? Can they progress easily? Are they rewarded well and frequently for surviving? That is, tables where one can last some time but not score well unless they make a number of accurate shots, such as <em>Monster Bash</em> or <em>High Speed II: The Getaway</em>, cannot be beginner-friendly. Games where balls drain easily and quickly, such as <em>The Simpsons Pinball Party</em> or <em>Star Trek: The Next Generation</em>, would not pass either, of course.</p><p>2. Approachability - Does the game make it obvious what you are supposed to do? If a solid-state game, does the DMD/alphanumeric display do a good job telling you which shots to make? Can you look at the playfield for the first time and get a good plan? Do the voice clips clearly explain what to do in few words? You can last some time in <em>NBA Fastbreak</em>, for instance, but it moves way too fast for someone new to the game to know what's going on. This was how <em>White Water</em> was for me too before I read the rules: Each shot has its own name, and without knowing which shot was called which, I was totally lost--I was scoring less than 1 million points per minute.</p><p>3. Simplicity - Are the rules simple and straightforward? Note that a ruleset can be simple and straightforward without it being shallow or boring. <em>Junk Yard</em> is a good example of that. While not a beginner-friendly game by any means, <em>Taxi</em> is another. From what I've seen with beginners, complexity of the playfield itself does not intimidate them. They can stare at the machine to study it as much as they like before playing. But if too much is thrown at them at once, or the rules are confusing, they will become confused, then frustrated.</p><p>4. Welcomeness - Does the game make you feel welcome? This is a lot harder to explain as it's a more abstract, subjective concept, but it all comes down to if the machine feels challenging or punishing. (A litmus test when you play any game, whether it's pinball or something else, is that, once it's over and you lose, do you think, "I could have done better if I did this differently" or "This game is totally unfair and deprived me of better performance"? The former is a game with challenging difficulty; the latter is a game with punishing difficulty.) Beginners will be fine with the machine insulting them, but they will not tolerate a game that feels punishing. <em>X-Men</em> is such a case of a punishing game due to its magnet on a spinning disc. A ball flung into the drain via this magnet will make them feel cheated. Most EM tables will feel punishing to newcomers too.</p><p></p><p>Bear in mind that tables that you experienced people would find bad are not necessarily bad for beginners. Beginners value very different things on a pinball machine than veterans.</p><p></p><p>Back on topic, i'm surprised someone threw out <em>Frank Thomas' Big Hurt</em>. I have no idea how that machine came about, but there is actually one such machine in public rather close to where I live. I ought to visit that place and try it. I'd guess it's not that hard, as the licensing rights presumably lie mostly with Frank Thomas himself.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Zombie Aladdin, post: 145230, member: 4242"] I'm trying to look into what makes a table good or bad. People seem to typically be incredibly vague about them. [i]Austin Powers[/i] comes to mind in particular about a game a lot of people dislike. It borrows a lot from [i]Medieval Madness[/i] and [i]Monster Bash[/i], two very well-liked games. I have yet to play on a good-condition one, but I don't understand why it's so badmouthed. Yes, that's a good one for beginners too, though you have to make sure it's at a setting appropriate for whoever's going to play it, it being [i]South Park[/i] and all. I hear [i]South Park[/i] collectors are snapping them up rapidly though. That being said, ease is not the only factor I use in determining if it's good for someone who has never played real pinball before. They are: 1. Ease - How long can a person keep playing it? Can they progress easily? Are they rewarded well and frequently for surviving? That is, tables where one can last some time but not score well unless they make a number of accurate shots, such as [i]Monster Bash[/i] or [i]High Speed II: The Getaway[/i], cannot be beginner-friendly. Games where balls drain easily and quickly, such as [i]The Simpsons Pinball Party[/i] or [i]Star Trek: The Next Generation[/i], would not pass either, of course. 2. Approachability - Does the game make it obvious what you are supposed to do? If a solid-state game, does the DMD/alphanumeric display do a good job telling you which shots to make? Can you look at the playfield for the first time and get a good plan? Do the voice clips clearly explain what to do in few words? You can last some time in [i]NBA Fastbreak[/i], for instance, but it moves way too fast for someone new to the game to know what's going on. This was how [i]White Water[/i] was for me too before I read the rules: Each shot has its own name, and without knowing which shot was called which, I was totally lost--I was scoring less than 1 million points per minute. 3. Simplicity - Are the rules simple and straightforward? Note that a ruleset can be simple and straightforward without it being shallow or boring. [i]Junk Yard[/i] is a good example of that. While not a beginner-friendly game by any means, [i]Taxi[/i] is another. From what I've seen with beginners, complexity of the playfield itself does not intimidate them. They can stare at the machine to study it as much as they like before playing. But if too much is thrown at them at once, or the rules are confusing, they will become confused, then frustrated. 4. Welcomeness - Does the game make you feel welcome? This is a lot harder to explain as it's a more abstract, subjective concept, but it all comes down to if the machine feels challenging or punishing. (A litmus test when you play any game, whether it's pinball or something else, is that, once it's over and you lose, do you think, "I could have done better if I did this differently" or "This game is totally unfair and deprived me of better performance"? The former is a game with challenging difficulty; the latter is a game with punishing difficulty.) Beginners will be fine with the machine insulting them, but they will not tolerate a game that feels punishing. [i]X-Men[/i] is such a case of a punishing game due to its magnet on a spinning disc. A ball flung into the drain via this magnet will make them feel cheated. Most EM tables will feel punishing to newcomers too. Bear in mind that tables that you experienced people would find bad are not necessarily bad for beginners. Beginners value very different things on a pinball machine than veterans. Back on topic, i'm surprised someone threw out [i]Frank Thomas' Big Hurt[/i]. I have no idea how that machine came about, but there is actually one such machine in public rather close to where I live. I ought to visit that place and try it. I'd guess it's not that hard, as the licensing rights presumably lie mostly with Frank Thomas himself. [/QUOTE]
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