Archive: 24 posts

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If you have ever stepped into an arcade, movie theater, laundromat, or any other place and played some pinball, this thread is for you. Even if you've never seen a pinball machine out there, this thread will most likely be an interesting read anyway. Whether you're a pinball enthusiast or someone who has at least seen some machines on location somewhere, there's some big news buzzing about the pinball community. If you're not caught up on the history of pinball, check out the spoiler below. Williams Electronic Games, once the leader in pinball manufacturing, was forced to close their production line in 1999 due to lack of interest in arcades and increased competition. If you want to find out why, you can Google the story, I won't explain everything here as it's not the focus of this thread. Beyond this point, and still today, Stern Pinball is the only maker of pinball machines. While the fact that pinball is still around and supported is great news for its followers, there are inherent problems. People are still losing interest in arcades as home game systems, mobile devices, and other things high-tech continue to choke out arcade games. And to add insult to injury, Stern Pinball isn't quite living up to the name either. Lately the company has been cranking out small numbers of machines based on licenses like Shrek and Iron Man. While these machines still sell because of their brand names, they simply lack important elements of pinball, such as original ideas, deep rulesets and bug-free software. With Stern continuing to crank out cheap licensed pinball machines, a brand new pinball maufacturer has entered the picture: Jersey Jack Pinball (http://jerseyjackpinball.com/). To make a long story short, "Jersey" Jack Guarnieri is making a big effort to revive the pinball scene. He already has quite a collection of the hands-down best designers, artists, and software engineers. And on top of that, they're already working on their first machine, and it's a doozy: The Wizard of Oz. In short, this game is going to be the flagship title to breathe new life into the Pinball scene across the world with its up to date parts, plentiful playfield toys, and outstanding quality and replayability. This is incredible news for anyone who's even remotely interested in Pinball. Have a look at the site (http://jerseyjackpinball.com/) to get the whole story. What do you think? Are you excited? Do you think this grand scheme will pay off? I firmly do. Discuss!

2011-04-03 00:54:00 Author: Unknown User

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Wow, no replies? This is big news! Within the next year we could be seeing a big resurrection in the pinball industry! Check out Jack and the Team at the 2011 Midwest Gaming Convention to get a better idea of what the future holds. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6H9XLNYj3c8

2011-04-07 12:58:00 Author: Unknown User

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Wow!! Thanks so much for this! I have always been a huge pinball fan and that is indeed great news. I will check out that video after bit.. I started to watch it and then saw it was a quite a bit longer than I had thought. lol Thanks again!

2011-04-08 23:24:00 Author: jwwphotos Posts: 11383

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Hey thanks! Jack mentions including a 26" LCD monitor that will display the backbox art as well as some scenes from the actual movie, so it's planned to be a pretty integral piece for the backbox. Here's an incredibly bad MSPaint concept I scratched up as a very rough possibility of how the screen may look: http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=33030&d=1302478143 Seems quite small for the 29"x29" backbox, in my opinion it looks awkward with all the surrounding space. But then again, this is without the 2/3" or so trim around the side.

2011-04-11 00:31:00 Author: Unknown User

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I haven't had time to give this thread the attention it deserves. I'll be back later with more than "WOOOO PINBALLL" but for now... WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO PINBALL!!!!!

2011-04-11 01:04:00 Author: BlackWolfe Posts: 299

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*Waits for BlackWolfe's awesome post*

2011-04-11 21:19:00 Author: Unknown User

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Here you go, then. Pinball never died. It waited, lurking quietly in the back corners of arcades, bowling alleys, and diners. Machines continue to be produced by giants like Bally-Midway and Stern (their 2005 Sopranos machine has nice, solid pinball action). Wizard of Oz is a daunting project for a fledgling company to take on. It's the sort of thing that, if the game doesn't do the movie justice, will absolutely crush them. The LCD in the backboard may seem small, but compare it to the standard, and you'll realize that it's above and beyond anything used up to now. The question is, what are they going to do with it? Display scenes from the movie? Minigames? Just display the score in a pretty emerald-city themed font? All three? (Most likely that one.) Minigames in pinball are a mixed bag. They need to be fast-paced and, above all, short. Any more than three to five seconds detracts too much from the real gameplay. Even when they are fast-paced and short, they can be intrusive. At this point, I want to see the playfield before I say more.

2011-04-11 23:09:00 Author: BlackWolfe Posts: 299

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Can't exactly say than I like Stern with their licensed titles and cheap game quality, but really if it wasn't for them Pinball would've been nearly wiped off the map following 1999. Bally/Williams/Midway has been out of business for quite some time, it's possible you're just seeing some older stock machines still out on location. I agree that this is a huge project for a small company starting out, but they really need to pull this off to make a name for themselves, especially if Jack is going to be putting pressure on Stern to produce better games and hopefully, some original themes. Keith Johnson said the screen will mainly be used for displaying the backbox art as well as a few movie clips. Clips from the movie will not be a main focus as far as integrating them into the gameplay, because let's be honest, no one likes a whole lot of stop-and-go action where you stare at the screen. And these "minigames" are video modes, and Johnson said that unless a very good reason for a video mode comes up, it won't be included in the game. It just distracts from the physical action happening on the playfield.

2011-04-13 02:01:00 Author: Unknown User

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I expect the finished game to look something like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgIjG1sDeHk Also, I read the game is planned to have at least 3 bumpers, at least 3 flippers, and more than one ramp (duh?). The interesting thing about this is "at least."

2011-04-15 12:32:00 Author: Unknown User

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never mind

2011-04-15 22:44:00 Author: IAmChavez Posts: 142

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I came across an interesting snippet from Jersey Jack: That is a pop bumper on the way out. With wizard targets. If you spell "wizard" it gives you points on the way out and ball save if you get all wizard targets lit up. The pop bumper can also knock the ball back in play. The playfield has 5 flippers, 2 magnets, 2 upper playfields. Evidently whoever preordered the game gets access to a bit more information than the general public. I also found a leaked image of a part of the playfield schematic but JJP wouldn't like me posting it here. Let's just say it's going to be very different than any of us pinheads have ever seen. Jack and Co. are really getting it on! And speaking of details, here are some images of the game's first declassified toy, Dorothy's house! http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/?bb_attachments=30765&bbat=3502&inline http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/?bb_attachments=30765&bbat=3503&inline It's not far from the actual model of her house... http://www.epiloglaser.com/images/cs_modelhouse1.jpg Of course, this is only a mock-up and hopefully will look a bit more interesting. JJP said in the e-mail the toy will spin off-center, making it look wobbly. This is involved with the tornado scene from the movie and it was said the house may open up, appear to fly apart, or something similar. How fun! The next update e-mail is coming in soon and I'll update this thread with the additional details.

2011-04-24 21:34:00 Author: Unknown User

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Pinball is definitely one of the best arcade games out there. I have fond memories of old pinball machines my uncle owned, that I could plug in and play whever I like (Or at least whenever I was over at his house). I suppose you could say my interest in games began with Pinball, even though I was playing computer games at the ripe age of four (Got into games on Doom. Is that bad that I was playing Doom at six? And was good at it?) My father was never too concerned of the fact that I was turning into a tomboy so I guess I lucked out in the fact I had parents that let me pick my own hobbies rather than those that try to funnel their children into specific activites (Too often do I see the stereotypical father pushing his disinterested son to succeed in sports, or the frustrated mother trying to deter her rough-and-tumble daughter from them). At any rate, back on the subject, pinball is definitely one of the greatest games of all time, and I was one of the few who figured out how to construct a functioning and playable pinball machine in LBP1 (Hailed by many as the best pinball machine in the whole game, with many a "needs mmpick" in the comment bar), and hope to do something similar in LBP2 once I take a break from A Wizard Did It.

2011-04-25 09:10:00 Author: the Ion Pulsar Posts: 172

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Sorry for the long wait, I've been on vacation. We have a few cool new things from the blog, including the official model for the sinking Wicked Witch toy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMSBd0hf07s I can't recall the actual details, but I believe you have to hit the witch a certain number of times before she "melts" below the playfield. Edit: Full details: The second Toy to be revealed on the upcoming Wizard of Oz Pinball Machine is something that everyone will love to hit! The Wicked Witch of the West will be brought to life to taunt, tease, scare and to melt. The concept model was made of foamcore and sheet styrene. It helps us visualize how the mechanism may look and operate. The three targets are at playfield level and the witch sits above them. The witch can appear when we want her to, either randomly or by achieving some goal. She can also disappear when we want her to, either randomly or by some series of shots. She can also melt by slowly sinking into the playfield. She won't be available for 'Melting Mode' until some other goals are met - perhaps meeting Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion, and the player going to OZ, first. There are three targets in front of her, two one-inch and one half-inch in between them. When she appears, there could be a bonus amount that is shown on the LCD. Hit the half inch target only to make her disappear right away and collect the full bonus. If one of the yellow targets is hit first, the bonus starts decreasing and both of the other targets must be hit to make her disappear and collect the decreasing bonus. The bonus will decrease to X amount, never to 0. Some possibilities may include if the player hits only the small red target each time she appears, X number of hits will start WITCH FIREBALL MULTIBALL. The unique and proprietary mechanisms that are being created for The Wizard of Oz Pinball are Property of Jersey Jack Pinball, Inc. As for the other update... http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?llr=97azmveab&v=001ok9oKmGhv2V4iM4Bc9xse03n2_ShD1RqxhPg5zK-ZOgRZMhJ4YpVHS3pJGoeYppgMp1UFGYm0aK1_16n0_eRxbF8mS 6Ez2R1x3br5dltDNCZqqIdR07fzQ%3D%3D Jerry Vanderstelt has released his first backglass art! Every piece of this art is hand painted to photographic quality. You should check out his website, Vanderstelt Studio (www.vandersteltstudio.com), for some rather epic examples of his work. According to what's been heard, the image in the center resembles the images to be shown on the LCD monitor, the surrounding art is simply the rest of the backglass, which doesn't change of course. There should be a full color version released soon! http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs004/1104524641178/img/25.jpg

2011-06-03 13:54:00 Author: Unknown User

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Wow... that is pretty extreme! Thanks for the update! I can't wait to play one! Do we know how many they are going to make and hopefully where some of them go commercially?

2011-06-03 14:35:00 Author: jwwphotos Posts: 11383

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Wow... that is pretty extreme! Thanks for the update! I can't wait to play one! Do we know how many they are going to make and hopefully where some of them go commercially? JJP plans to begin production near the end of the year, which is when the new version of the movie will be released. That's some pretty good timing if you ask me. Jack plans on having well over 1000 manufactured, and data shows that almost that many preorders - if not that many, have already been placed. The first 1k machines will be the Limited Edition version with real diamonds on the playfield and a bunch of other ridiculous stuff I'm sure. As for locations, I was concerned about this at first because of 3 factors: 1) Pinball is a dying interest among commercial operators. 2) The game is crazy expensive at about $6500 for a standard (not a LE at $7200) game. 3) The machine is wild with moving parts and toys, which would make it more dificult to maintain than conventional machines in the past. But, it does seem that some operators will be interested in buying some of these things. The movie timing is obviously the strongest incentive, as well as the company's past success in general.

2011-06-03 18:23:00 Author: Unknown User

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JJP plans to begin production near the end of the year, which is when the new version of the movie will be released. That's some pretty good timing if you ask me. Jack plans on having well over 1000 manufactured, and data shows that almost that many preorders - if not that many, have already been placed. The first 1k machines will be the Limited Edition version with real diamonds on the playfield and a bunch of other ridiculous stuff I'm sure. As for locations, I was concerned about this at first because of 3 factors: 1) Pinball is a dying interest among commercial operators. 2) The game is crazy expensive at about $6500 for a standard (not a LE at $7200) game. 3) The machine is wild with moving parts and toys, which would make it more dificult to maintain than conventional machines in the past. But, it does seem that some operators will be interested in buying some of these things. The movie timing is obviously the strongest incentive, as well as the company's past success in general. On top of that not only is pinball dying but the arcade concept as a whole. I don't have much hope for this.

2011-06-03 22:16:00 Author: IAmChavez Posts: 142

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On top of that not only is pinball dying but the arcade concept as a whole. I don't have much hope for this. Keep in mind this move was never meant to save anything. The machine is targeted primarily at home owners and collectors, not the commercial market (hence the high price point and maintenance rates).

2011-06-05 01:28:00 Author: Unknown User

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I would love one, but that is a bit steep and I don't think we have the room! lol Oh wait.. do we need a guest bedroom really? lol.. Nah.. I know that won't go over well.

2011-06-05 02:56:00 Author: jwwphotos Posts: 11383

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Oh wait.. do we need a guest bedroom really? lol.. Nah.. I know that won't go over well. Ahh, I don't need that couch! The man said it himself! Go for it! He even has pinball repair kits in his bathroom!

2011-06-05 14:34:00 Author: Unknown User

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More cool stuff! JJP has released the full cabinet art package, but it's not in color yet. Also, people who pre-ordered the game recently received printed diagrams of the two upper playfields along with their periodic bill. According to JJP, the movie's story begins on the left side of the cabinet, follows up and around the backbox, and wraps up on the other side, all following the yellow brick road! http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL81/617951/972577/397206824.jpg http://pinballhead.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/woz-minipfs.jpg The two mini playfields feature the Wicked Witch's castle and Dorothy's house in the twister. Evidently for the former, you have to get the ball to the castle ramp, and you may possibly need to light "RESCUE" first. For the latter, the object is clearly to loop the ball as many times as possible and spin the house. Maybe there will be a mechanism that opens the house up once it gets spinning fast enough? One thing's for sure, the house toy isn't mounted off-center. And finally, here's something cool I did. I ran Pinball Hallf of Fame: The Williams Collection in an emulator and swapped out the textures on Funhouse. This is what the machine will actually look like (if the backbox side art wasn't backwards, an oversight on my part): http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=34949&d=1307974566 http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=34947&d=1307974557 http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=34948&d=1307974562 I may consider doing this again once the full color art comes out.

2011-06-13 15:17:00 Author: Unknown User

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I followed,liked and subscribed to them. Really want to see pinball return, video game pinball has nothing on a real machine. My only source is an Elvis one at Chuck e Cheese that I play when a kid in my family has a birthday there. And they don't give a toss about keeping it in very decent shape.

2011-06-16 15:22:00 Author: Morgalaga Posts: 164

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On an interesting sidenote, I helped move in a Frankenstein (http://ipdb.org/search.pl?any=mary+shelley%27s+frankenstein&sortby=name&search=Search+Database&searchtype=quick) for the rec center yesterday. I was surprised to see several regulars pretty interested in the machine, and one guy started playing as soon as we got it level. Looks like it will really be enjoyed!

2011-06-17 13:36:00 Author: Unknown User

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BIG update: The playfield is in! http://forumimg.pinside.com/pinball/forum/?bb_attachments=42168&bbat=5423&inline It's an off split but you get the general idea. The constrast between evil and good is shown plainly here, with the Witch Castle and Haunted Forest on the left, and Dorothy's House and the rainbow targets on the right, all with the famous Yellow Brick Road through the center of the playfield! Full details: Hello Pinball Fans! Today Jersey Jack Pinball, Inc. is proud to unveil the left side of the playfield of the Wizard of Oz Pinball. This game is really packed from bottom to top with lots of mechanical toys and features which all add up to great game play and fun. From the bottom up, last week we revealed the State Fair Balloon Bumper. This is a game below the game and spelling targets encourage the player to nudge the ball using that bumper as a flipper and trying to save the ball by returning it back up the lane into play or earn a qualifying game or even to get another ball awarded. Moving up we now see the Crystal Ball Spinner shot that ties a spinning target to the Crystal Ball that will enable mystery awards and other qualified awards. Next we see the three haunted Forest Tree Bumpers and some rollovers representing the main characters in the forest which reward point value and awards to the player. Matt will be sculpting all of these bumpers so they are unique and add another dimension to the game. Next we find the Wicked Witch of the West on the edge of the Haunted Forest where she will appear and disappear messing with the player. There are skill shots to hit her and make her melt into the playfield. The upper left playfield is the Witch's Castle. Once up there you will have different opportunities for scoring and mode advancement. The player must also open the doors of the castle to rescue the Dorothy captive ball. There is also a Winkie Guard drop target preventing you from entering the Witch's Castle so you will have to get by him somehow to get up to that Witch's Castle. Today as June ends, Jersey Jack Pinball, Inc. has released the right "Good Side" of the playfield for the Wizard of Oz Pinball Machine. Some of the detail is listed below but this side has two magnets, two flippers, the upper Munchkinland playfield with Dorothy's Spinning House and a Throne Room where different awards are collected. -Shooter lane plunger will have multiple opening shots available and selectable to the player to collect awards -The right outlane is a game in itself attempting to rollover all T-O-T-O rollovers to collect award value -Shoot into the WOZ Throne Room to collect awards and start modes -Shoot right to left loop shot to get to Flying Monkey lock, top lanes, and around to Haunted Forest Tree Bumpers -Shoot Top O-Z Lanes to collect award values -Shoot R-A-I-N-B-O-W targets to collect awards and start modes -Shoot Emerald City ramp to lock balls, enter Munchkinland, and collect awards -Shoot multiple loop shots in Munchkinland to spin House with the goal to land the House on the WWE, plus award values -Shoot lit rollover buttons Lion, Tinman, and Scarecrow to pick up these characters along the Yellow Brick Road to start modes and award values There is a lot more detail than meets the eye on this drawing but that will come too. Next week we will have a report from our Jersey Jack Pinball Midwest Campus where whitewood games are being assembled. Until then, Have a very safe and Happy July 4th Weekend and celebrate the Freedom we have in the good old USA - Home of Pinball ! Now that the playfield has been releaed in full, what do you guys think? It has an open design, much like today's playfield style. I absolutely cannot wait to see the whitewood!

2011-07-01 01:04:00 Author: Unknown User

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I think it will be great! Very fun looking and very intuitive play. Love all the sections with their completion goals. Thanks for posting!

2011-07-01 02:28:00 Author: jwwphotos Posts: 11383

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