What do YOU play pinball for ?

[PET3R]

Just want to get an idea what do you play pinball for - this is mainly for TPA, but feel free to mention IRL.

examples:

a) I play for TPA goals and TPA score, once I beat the goals I don't play the table any more.

b) As above but I do have few favourite tables I play regularly

c) I do not care about TPA goals, I play for high scores all of the tables.

d) I do not care about TPA goals, I play only few favourite tables for high score.

e) I do not care about goals or high scores, I choose randomly a table and play for fun.

f) etc...

 

[Kolchak357]

E is the closest for me, but I don't play a random pin. There are definitely some I play more often than others. I usually play for multiball or a specific mode that I enjoy. Don't care much for chasing high scores or achieving all goals. I also don't play marathon games, so I'll quit or start playing recklessly if the game is getting too long.

 

[PET3R]

I only play around 10 tables in total, always for high score and of course for fun at the same time. I am trying to understand the table for 100% - rules, strategies, weaknesses etc. I am looking to narrow this number down to about 5 as I always enjoy doing less but being good at it, rather than doing a lot and not having any results. Ideally I would prefer to concentrate on a single table but a) sometime you need bit of variety, specially if you need to switch off from that table b) some tables give very different experience to some others: example - AFM/MM - STTNG

 

[invitro]

Pinball is my religion, I play it to please the gods and to have life everlasting.

 

[Dedpop]

E is the closest for me, but I don't play a random pin. There are definitely some I play more often than others. I usually play for multiball or a specific mode that I enjoy. Don't care much for chasing high scores or achieving all goals. I also don't play marathon games, so I'll quit or start playing recklessly if the game is getting too long.

I play exactly the same way as you do.

 

[HotHamBoy]

I play TPA and Zen because I can't play much real pinball where I live (Indianapolis) and have to travel at least an hour to play at a decent location. I play TPA specifically because I like the way real tables are designed. No offense to the Zen guys but they've got nothing on Ritchie, Lawlor and the gang. TPA is particularly useful for learning table layouts and rules and practicing modes. They don't tend to be the most accurate recreations but they are still great primers. It allows me to walk up to a table I haven't previously played or played enough and know what I'm supposed to do.

When I'm playing I just go for personal bests. I have no idea how some people on here can play games so long that they max score counters or EBs or simply get bored.

 

[EccentricFlower]

Pinball is my religion, I play it to please the gods and to have life everlasting.

ALL HAIL

I play pinball because I enjoy it and I'm not really a very good player, so going about 10-15 minutes on a single game is usually about the furthest I can get. This is actually a plus, because it means I can play pinball in short intervals, which is usually what I have.

I usually have about an hour in the evening where I drink a cocktail and try to get some recreation, and often what I do is start TPA and then spin the mousewheel to pick a table at random. The rules are that I have to play whatever table I land on once. If it's a table I hate, I play it once and then spin again. (I don't have to play a table if I already played it once during that session.) This gives me a good distribution and there's only about five tables I hate enough that playing them feels like a chore.

 

[wolfson]

Pinball is my religion, I play it to please the gods and to have life everlasting.

I`m with you all the bloody way,invitro !!!!

 

[pm1109]

e) I do not care about goals or high scores, I choose randomly a table and play for fun.

^^^^^

 

[big_kick]

f) I don't care about high scores but I want trophies for PSN, I mainly play tables with trophies.

 

[Crooker]

At first I played TPA just because I love pinball. Then I joined in the tournaments and quickly became pretty obsessed with doing the best I could in those. Then I found this forum which lead me to invitros list. The list is my new obsession. Many many hours trying to improve on high scores. It's all about high scores and improving my ranking on "The List" for me.

 

[ZREXMike]

I play for world peace & to end famine, plus my fanclub is really into my playing.

Seriously, just for the fun of it.

 

[Tann]

I play mostly TPA by nostalgia of the real pinball tables.

Those were the days, in the arcade rooms with a bunch of friends, playing frenzied & hilarious competition games.

In TPA, I play mainly for the highscores.

Top 500 is the minimum.
Top 200 is an achievement.
Top 100 is a true success.
Top 50 is the nirvana.
Top 20 is like reach the top of Mount Olympus.
Top 10 is another dimension (only two so far).

I took care of the Wizard goals when I'm not motivated to play for highscores (and most of the time, wizard goals are achieved without wanting it during a very good game).

 

[Fungi]

After contemplating all the choices, I've come to one conclusion. I've been wasting my life. Thanks PET3. Because of this, I'm quitting TPA, leaving the forum, and going outside!

Hello world! How ya doin'?!

 

[Extork]

After contemplating all the choices, I've come to one conclusion. I've been wasting my life. Thanks PET3. Because of this, I'm quitting TPA, leaving the forum, and going outside!

Hello world! How ya doin'?!

there is no world! Everything is radioactive and 99.9% of tho population has been killed off. So please don't go outside my man

 

[David T. Melnick]

Pinball is my religion, I play it to please the gods and to have life everlasting.

----
Likewise...that & to "freeze" my seizures as long as possible.

 

[jonathan.rowe.75]

Im between C and E. I will play for score to beat the default scores and my personal score. Playing just to have fun and pass the time, I tend to fall on Terminator 2 and Ghost Rider (Marvel) tables

 

[Slam23]

I started to play just for fun. Then I discovered the HOF point system for iOS and that for a while was my main goal. I would get the score to achieve 1000 HOF points and then go on to the next table. I was very excited to crack the top 10 on the HOF leaderboard. Some buggy behaviour and obvious hacks on that leaderboard somewhat spoiled the fun. And then Invitro came up with the best and most clean leaderboard system that I know of, and that has been my go-to place ever since. Just cracked the top 15! Now I really try to compete for top scores. I often will use the Table of the Month Club to really focus on a table, keeping at it a whole week helped me get better scores on tables that I otherwise wouldn't fire up myself. In between I will play tables just for fun again, but I often get sucked back into those high score hunts. I don't care much for the standard/wizard goal system. Often too easy and sometimes mindboggling hard.

 

[mmmagnetic]

Yeah, I play "for fun" as well. Well, not that actually going for a high score isn´t fun, but I´m not a competetive gamer at all.

I just love the feeling of hitting ramps, multiball juggling, the whole aesthetics, the vibe I get from it. And evoking the (very few, sadly) memories I have of playing actual machines during my vacation trips.

Adding to that, the presentation in a pinball table is way for important to me than any actual balancing. I love playing Bride Of Pinball even though the scoring is totally busted.

And I really, really love having this almost overwhelming choice of tables, not only within TPA, but adding my complete collection of Zen tables as well. I love going back to a table that I haven´t touched for a year or more and let the nostalgia wash over me.

Oh, and I LOVE figuring out a table on my own. Having a fresh new table and learning all the shots, reading the inserts, checking out modes... Never gets old

 

[jonesjb]

I play to relax and have a break from work... playing pinball puts my mind into a state of zen. I love playing some pinball, putting it on low volume and listening to some Old Time Radio from the 1940s (like Suspense and Innersanctum)... Truly a relaxing experience.