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I think I have been converted!

S

Stickman

Registered
Joined
Nov 4, 2021
Messages
3
Location
Hertfordshire
Hi All,

I have been a video arcade collector / restorer and have myself a nice little collection. I will be honest (don't hate me) but in the past I never got Pinball, If I had a go i would just try and smash the ball around and watch all the pretty lights and massive score (compared to something like Space Invaders :) ) rack up, turns out my scores were abysmal :)

Anyway a good friend of mine got himself a Tron Legacy table, and after spending the weekend at his, having him explain the concept of what you are doing in game like unlocking levels etc. I seem to have now seen the light and I get it....

I am now considering my options, but man these machines can be expensive, I have no room so building up numerous Pinballs is not something I can do (never mind the cost) so I am either thinking about getting a project (I am happy to get into restoration/ electronics etc.) or build a decent virtual pinball which why not the real deal could give me the fix I crave and allow me to try lots of different tables etc. (if anyone has a project or a carcass that I can use for a VP drop me a line)

Anyway glad I joined here and will lurk around reading what people post being a noobie.

Based North Herts so planning a visit to Pinball Office as its not to far away
 
Hello,

I was somewhat your opposite - I never really connected with the early video games (other than Defender and Berzerk), and stayed with pinball, which had then only recently adopted electronic control, with sound (of sorts) and the earliest crudely synthesized speech.

What you may find nowadays is that those first electronic pins still don't really appeal, as they were only a step on from the older electro-mechanical games, with buzzers 'n bells, and score reels (to confuse the matter, some of them still had chimes for audio). The early games weren't usually what's referred to as 'deep', i.e. you'd have to play a long time to see all they were capable of, not to mention having the skills to achieve such objectives. Tron is one such deep modern (to me, anyway) game.

Nowadays games have far more memory size, and updating the software is akin to doing so on a PC, which I suppose is pretty much what the hardware amounts to. The latest updates are posted and the changes detailed* on-line, and Stern games can be 'insider' connected to similar games elsewhere for comparison.

I'd recommend not rushing into buying, even if you had room. Try before you buy is wise here. There are some games many revere that I would only use for parts, and similarly some I rate that others deride. Games were built in varying numbers, going by demand at the time. Some which weren't numerous have survived in large numbers, such as Bally Centaur and its re-tread Centaur II (only 4,500 altogether). Some with low runs have since become regarded as under-recognised (like the Defender pinball; an insanely small run, but try buying a surviving one), while some I now wonder 'how did they shift so many of that?'.

* in the sense of listing the changes made, rather than the car-care sense of polishing more than actually driving
 
Last edited:
Stickman said:
Anyway a good friend of mine got himself a Tron Legacy table, and after spending the weekend at his, having him explain the concept of what you are doing in game like unlocking levels etc. I seem to have now seen the light and I get it....
Click to expand...
TRON's a great machine, especially for someone with the nostalgia for that era and all things retro video games. There are better out there though, as Jay says above, and it's often a personal preference. Take your time and play as many as you can, but give each one plenty of opportunity to show what it's really about and maybe it'll grow on you. Good that you're close to the Pinball Office too - we've all been really spoilt for quality pinball clubs/pubs in recent years, not that I get chance to visit them!
 
Deffo get along to the Pinball Office - great games, great priceand great host.
Try not to go every weekend 😉
 
Chris at the pinball office will make you very welcome, his selection of machines are amazing. Heading there today to give a hand so all is good for the weekend.

Nothing like the real thing, V pins are not for me.

Alan
 
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