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The "what does machine build quality mean to you?" thread
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<blockquote data-quote="vikingerik" data-source="post: 145564" data-attributes="member: 3745"><p>Just noticed this thread, so here's a whole collection of thoughts.</p><p></p><p>What is so hateable about Harley-Davidson? Seems fine to me, it's got plenty of speed and multiballs and a wizard mode, what else do you need? Ok the video mode is annoying but that's the only objectionable spot.</p><p></p><p>Austin Powers is fine on the pinballing but annoying in the theme and audiovisual package. The franchise was always grating if you weren't into that juvenile style of humor and has aged even worse. But nothing at all wrong with the pinballing. If it were exactly the same game but with Elvira's boobs, we'd love it.</p><p></p><p>I don't get the complaints on Stern build quality. Ok they don't include complicated mechanical gadgets like the Gumball or Path of Adventure or STTNG's cannons. But neither did plenty of the best Williams games like AFM, MM, MB. I've never felt the Sterns were any different mechanically from the other manufacturers. If there's any difference, it's that Williams owners and operators took better care of them while DE/Sega/Sterns were more prone to neglectful operators that would let them rot. (And the point about Williams exclusively having broken switch compensation is a good one.) Complaints about cheap character figures on the Sterns also seem out of place, it's not like the AFM Martians or MB monsters were premium artisan pieces either. I have never once noticed any of the complaints here about playfield art quality or things like wire placement.</p><p></p><p>I still think the perceived excellence of Williams and weakness of the other manufacturers are all because of the audiovisual packages. Williams games go CRAZY with joyous revelry and yelling when you start multiball or nail a super jackpot. They get you PUMPED. Stern used to be able to capture this too, most obviously on LOTR, and also good on TSPP, POTC, and Ripley's. The Stern multimedia experience went significantly downhill starting around Sopranos and Elvis leading to the modern ones that feel so bland.</p><p></p><p>Beginners are terrible at pinball because <em>aiming pinballs is <strong>hard</strong></em>. The core requirement of stopping the ball for a controlled shot is completely counter to instinct and takes at least hours if not months to years to learn and internalize. The <em>only</em> way to make a table newbie-friendly is to put a big wide target in the middle that will get hit lots of times by random whacks, since that's all a novice is capable of doing. AFM demonstrates this most clearly, obviously. Terminator 2 is highly overlooked in the newbie-friendly department, it's very easy for them to get in a couple whacks at the skull and start multiball.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="vikingerik, post: 145564, member: 3745"] Just noticed this thread, so here's a whole collection of thoughts. What is so hateable about Harley-Davidson? Seems fine to me, it's got plenty of speed and multiballs and a wizard mode, what else do you need? Ok the video mode is annoying but that's the only objectionable spot. Austin Powers is fine on the pinballing but annoying in the theme and audiovisual package. The franchise was always grating if you weren't into that juvenile style of humor and has aged even worse. But nothing at all wrong with the pinballing. If it were exactly the same game but with Elvira's boobs, we'd love it. I don't get the complaints on Stern build quality. Ok they don't include complicated mechanical gadgets like the Gumball or Path of Adventure or STTNG's cannons. But neither did plenty of the best Williams games like AFM, MM, MB. I've never felt the Sterns were any different mechanically from the other manufacturers. If there's any difference, it's that Williams owners and operators took better care of them while DE/Sega/Sterns were more prone to neglectful operators that would let them rot. (And the point about Williams exclusively having broken switch compensation is a good one.) Complaints about cheap character figures on the Sterns also seem out of place, it's not like the AFM Martians or MB monsters were premium artisan pieces either. I have never once noticed any of the complaints here about playfield art quality or things like wire placement. I still think the perceived excellence of Williams and weakness of the other manufacturers are all because of the audiovisual packages. Williams games go CRAZY with joyous revelry and yelling when you start multiball or nail a super jackpot. They get you PUMPED. Stern used to be able to capture this too, most obviously on LOTR, and also good on TSPP, POTC, and Ripley's. The Stern multimedia experience went significantly downhill starting around Sopranos and Elvis leading to the modern ones that feel so bland. Beginners are terrible at pinball because [i]aiming pinballs is [b]hard[/b][/i]. The core requirement of stopping the ball for a controlled shot is completely counter to instinct and takes at least hours if not months to years to learn and internalize. The [i]only[/i] way to make a table newbie-friendly is to put a big wide target in the middle that will get hit lots of times by random whacks, since that's all a novice is capable of doing. AFM demonstrates this most clearly, obviously. Terminator 2 is highly overlooked in the newbie-friendly department, it's very easy for them to get in a couple whacks at the skull and start multiball. [/QUOTE]
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