Why is nudging such a big part of the game?

[HotHamBoy]

Ok, this is a noobish question but I've only been playing pinball for about two years. So why is nudging such an accepted aspect of pinball? Is it to counter the quarter-eating strategies and random variables of the game? Is it becuase you can't really stop people from doing it? Or is it because it's a strategy that goes all the way back to bagatelle? It's been embraced by the pinball designers, which makes me wonder if tables began to be designed with nudging in mind (outside of tilt); like you will certainly lose the ball there unless you know you should nudge.

As a new player, I have a hard time incorporating nudging into my game. For one thing, I don't really like doing it because I don't want to break the machine or receive strange looks. But I often realize I need to nudge too late, I lack the anticiption required.

 

[DA5ID]

I held the assumption that nudging was bad - and that it abused a very expensive machine that I was only briefly renting for a couple of quarters...
But as I have played with really good players I saw that it is a part of the game and that it is a unique skill set unto itself. subtle nudging (non-abusive) to reduce the probability of SDTM or outlane drains.

I do see some abusive player styles that are outright violent toward the machine (hitting the buttons, banging the side of the machine, etc.) and it actually upsets me and I just want to say "you know they don't make these machines anymore right?" - but they do it within the range of not tilting so its not technically illegal.

All that said - still need to perfect my SLAP-SAVE!!!!

 

[Jeff Strong]

Or is it because it's a strategy that goes all the way back to bagatelle?

Yes.

 

[Slam23]

Some tables even recognize and reward extreme nudge measures like the infamous (and tournament-illegal move) death save. See https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/games-recognizing-death-save for examples. Nudging was discouraged in the early pinball days by nails driven through the side panels but nowadays it's standard game technique. Without it, you are not going very far.
Best outlane save I've seen is this one by the great Bowen Kerrins (and this is on a tournament table which are adjusted to be very tilt-sensitive and geared towards draining by removing rubber posts etc.): https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Mj_hBAsaCDc

 

[invitro]

Saving the ball isn't even the main point of nudging, or it isn't for me anyway. I nudge pretty much constantly, or at least when the ball returns to the flippers, to catch it or move it to a spot where I have a good flip at it. A third purpose is to move a target so that the ball hits it.

I think nudging causes zero damage to a machine. I don't even think tilting, death saves, or bang backs cause any damage. Certainly it's possible to damage a pinball machine, but I don't think you can by moving it around (with only the force that your body provides). Probably pressing a flipper button -- and thus wearing out a flipper a tiny bit -- causes more damage than a nudge.

I don't remember well how I trained myself to nudge... it may have just come naturally. But I vaguely remember a long time ago forcing myself to move the machine every time the ball returned to the flippers other than by inlane. It just takes focus, discipline, and practice, like any new skill.

 

[HotHamBoy]

I think nudging can further damage a machine. Just the other day the Blackwater 100 i was going to play had a screw from the 3-ball starting lock on the playfield. A Dolly I played sometime back had a rubber cap caught under a rollover switch.

 

[Sean DonCarlos]

I think nudging causes zero damage to a machine. I don't even think tilting, death saves, or bang backs cause any damage. Certainly it's possible to damage a pinball machine, but I don't think you can by moving it around (with only the force that your body provides). Probably pressing a flipper button -- and thus wearing out a flipper a tiny bit -- causes more damage than a nudge.

Death saves (the non-kicking version) won't damage the machine, but they're murderous on floors. My two machines sit on a plywood panel to protect the carpet underneath them, and you can easily see the gouges in it from my occasional overenthusiastic save attempts.

Other than that, a novice is far more likely to injure himself than the machine. First two things to learn when learning to nudge is A) use a light touch as it takes less force than you think to get the ball to move, and B) nudge with the whole arm rather than relying on your wrists to provide all the force. Your wrist should be used to make fine adjustments in the position of the heel of your hand where you want to strike the cabinet; your shoulder and arm should be providing the needed momentum. Pinball is really a game for the whole body, far more so than it might first appear.

 

[Pinballwiz45b]

Death saves (the non-kicking version) won't damage the machine, but they're murderous on floors. My two machines sit on a plywood panel to protect the carpet underneath them, and you can easily see the gouges in it from my occasional overenthusiastic save attempts.

Other than that, a novice is far more likely to injure himself than the machine. First two things to learn when learning to nudge is A) use a light touch as it takes less force than you think to get the ball to move, and B) nudge with the whole arm rather than relying on your wrists to provide all the force. Your wrist should be used to make fine adjustments in the position of the heel of your hand where you want to strike the cabinet; your shoulder and arm should be providing the needed momentum. Pinball is really a game for the whole body, far more so than it might first appear.

He returns!

 

[Sean DonCarlos]

He returns!

I never left. I've just been observing from afar. The promotion at work has been great for the checkbook but hell on the free time.