Why was El Dorado chosen over many other EMs?

[Zorgwon]

I wasn't active for a while here and on the arcade but I returned with Fireball and El Dorado.

I was suprised about the choice. There were lists and polls where El Dorado never topped. Tables like Royal Flush had much higher production runs and have more consideration.

 

[BStarfire]

El Dorado was a reasonable choice and neither production runs nor polls can yield the optimal choice in all cases since opinions can be so varied. However, as far as production runs go El Dorado had a considerable run in its various incarnations (Target Alpha, etc.) as well as the SS version. Royal Flush (and its sibling Card Whiz and RF deluxe) do have a high run number and is a worthy choice for a future table but off hand I'm not sure which of the two (El Dorado vs. Royal Flush) had the largest run with all variants figured in. Also, it might have been easier for Farsight to do El Dorado since they had already done the SS version, even though there are some slight variations on the playfield. El Dorado is an iconic 70's pin and a worthy choice. I hope future Gottlieb EM's are considered carefully, since we are likely to not get many I would prefer to have some different styles represented, though I would include Royal Flush, without a doubt, on the short list.

A related question - why wasn't there an option to select extra ball for the special like in Central Park? That would certainly elevate scores and increase the playing time, but with the option to have it or not along with a limit (say 9), it seems like a reasonable option.

 

[Jeff Strong]

I would think a lot of it has to do with the fact that they already had the SS version of El Dorado in the game, so it required much less work to do the EM version. They could take the existing geometry and swap the playfield art. As for the scripting, they already had the old PHOF code since City of Gold was scripted back then instead of ROM emulated as it is in TPA, so they could tweak the ruleset code just a bit for the EM version, saving more time since they would've had to code any other EM from scratch.

It's too bad they just didn't do the EM version of El Dorado from the start. I totally agree it would've been great to see Royal Flush or any of the other great wedgeheads we've been waiting so long to see.

 

[Kratos3]

I would think a lot of it has to do with the fact that they already had the SS version of El Dorado in the game, so it required much less work to do the EM version. They could take the existing geometry and swap the playfield art. As for the scripting, they already had the old PHOF code since City of Gold was scripted back then instead of ROM emulated as it is in TPA, so they could tweak the ruleset code just a bit for the EM version, saving more time since they would've had to code any other EM from scratch.

It's too bad they just didn't do the EM version of El Dorado from the start. I totally agree it would've been great to see Royal Flush or any of the other great wedgeheads we've been waiting so long to see.

This. Not a new table from scratch.

 

[Snorzel]

3 other incarnations of this playfield were used. Solar City, Canada Dry, and Target Alpha. I wouldnt have minded one of these. El Dorado is great though I am glad we got it

 

[Zorgwon]

Target Alpha

That one has different rules like resetting the drops after every ball and it has a bonus. In El Dorado I'm busy to get that one remaining drop target most of the time and I don't score anything after the first ball. The left standup target is lethal for the ball which means that moving the spot is not recommendable.

 

[Rayder]

I don't know, it feels a bit redundant (and somewhat shady) to release a table who's layout is an exact duplicate of a table we already have.

 

[BStarfire]

It's not a question of why they gave us a table with a similar layout as another, but more why wouldn't they do it since its not as labor intensive as a brand new one and the games play differently. I appreciate that they did it. Plus, Fireball was brand new so pairing with an older remake table is consistent. Looking forward to seeing Ace High recirculated with SO76.... Hopefully for July 2016.

 

[Snorzel]

It's not a question of why they gave us a table with a similar layout as another, but more why wouldn't they do it since its not as labor intensive as a brand new one and the games play differently. I appreciate that they did it. Plus, Fireball was brand new so pairing with an older remake table is consistent. Looking forward to seeing Ace High recirculated with SO76.... Hopefully for July 2016.

Well said I agree

 

[Sean]

I'm surprised we haven't already seen Ace High released, but as part of an EM two-pack it will be worth the wait. I still can't believe they're still releasing tables - far beyond what I expected when they first started this!