So, You want to be a better player....

[bartron]

How to up your game???

it must be quite intimidating if your just getting in to pinball , to see the better players with their different styles and techniques.

so, what would be your tip, that you think could help a newbie?

 

[teachp8]

Watching the really good players made me realise I needed to be a little more proactive, particularly with nudging the table, rather than wait for things to happen and then react!! I'm still practising!





Mark

 

[bartron]

with a new table, I change the settings to 5 balls. just to learn the rule set, after that its 3 balls and NO ball saver.. this tends to concentrate the mind. outlane posts to medium.wiith WPC 95 games I always have the outlanes fully open.

 

[Rus121]

Keep control of the ball as much as you can, and pick your shots carefully. The more the ball is flailing around the table, the more likely it will drain.



Nudging is a must. In fact its essential. Gentle nudging can easily prevent SDTM drains, and having bouncy white rubbers on your games outlane posts can make it easier to 'bounce out' the ball via gentle nudging.



Watch the pinball 101 DVD.

 

[ronsplooter]

As a newbie (only been playing since May) I've found the best things have been lots and lots of practice (pretty obvious

) and also watching other people play. Up until recently I've only really been able to watch vids on the net (mainly Bowen's tutorials on Tilt Warning) but going to the UK party and the 1st Midlands meet this weekend has shown me I need to work on my nudging a lot! Learning the rules for a table is also key to a high score but good flipper skills and nudging are needed to work through those rules. I guess that remembering rules for different machines comes through research and getting time to play lots of them.

 

[Kate Rothwell-Jackson]

I found that reading the rulesheet for a table on ipdb.org while looking at the table, and then practicing each shot, really helped. Not only are you learning how to play that particular machine, you are practicing your aim and control too. For example, if you are practicing making a left ramp shot and the ball comes to your left flipper, it gives you the chance to try flipper passes.



I would also say the thing that helped me was having a machine at home... that way you can do all this without eyes watching and can play to your hearts content.



Watching some really good players play was also a massive help, but also talking to them while they are playing so they explain what shot they are going for and why. and also, when they make a bad shot, what makes it a bad shot. I used to think that a bad shot was when you missed what you were aiming for, but actually it's more like doing a shot that is going to make you lose control of the ball. Advice from the more advanced pinball players has been invaluable.

 

[Phil Dixon]

Phil's pinball 101:



Do not put your weight on the machine, you need to stand in a position where you are balanced enough to move the machine if you need to. You can't do this sitting down!

Know your enemy! Especially on later games where knowing the rules can make a huge difference.

Avoid the sucker shots, tempting targets etc which are there to drain your ball. Jet bumpers on TZ, for example.

Watch others play first! Even if you know the machine, see how it's playing. Do all the shots go down the left drain? Does it tilt easy? Are the flippers powerful enough to make that crucial ramp?

Identify what path the ball is taking. You need to be able to decide what's going to happen before it gets to the slingshot area, you should be identifying and planning what needs to be done about 1/3 up the table! Ideally you don't let the ball go near the out/in lanes and move it way from SDTM which bringes us to....



NUDGING: You need to influence the ball, this can be done with the plunger (at start of ball), flippers or nudging. It is impossible to influence the ball as you can't touch it! You can, however move the table under the ball. Nudging left should send the ball right al vice versa for right. You can also move the table up! This increases the impact on rubbers, posts etc and can cause the ball to jump out of harms way. A huge nudge is often not needed, subtlety is your friend!

Slinghots are not your friend, try to keep off them or break the back/forth motion between them with an upward nudge.



Practice flipper skills especially dead catching and post transfers. Remember that a ball moving at speed on the flipper will need a different aim than one at rest. One person once told me that the difference between making and missing a shot with a ball at full speed is... 3 MILLISECONDS! Don't know about you, but my reactions are not THAT good! Trap the ball, stop it then shoot. This goes double on any classic game.



Controversial bit:

DURING MULTIBALL DO NOT CRADLE THE BALLS! Ok, this goes against everyone else but here's my thinking:

1) You are scoring points at 1/3 the rate you are by using all 3 balls

2) You handicap the flipper you are cradling on, watch Bowen play and see how many times balls are lost cause the flipper can't be properly used.

You should keep the balls out of the way by utilising ramps, saucers, jets, scoops/subways etc. Yes, your MB may be shorter but you should score more points and jackpots. It's more fun and the way it's meant to play the game!

 

[Judge Dreads]

Can't advise on playing tips but can on physical problems which may result if you are not careful. When I received my TOM I played it a lot (to the disgust of some out there I’m sure, probably more than my 1st pin which was not excessively nudged). I only learned to nudge with my left arm, this was obviously natural and maybe RHS ball drains are less common within my collection of titles. I am not a big player, there have been times when I go weeks without flicking the switch but constantly nudging the TOM damaged the elbow joint or caused nerve misplacement in my left arm. I can no longer nudge when I play (or it’s definitely a bad idea although I can’t help it sometimes), any nudging flares it up and the flaw is always present (it will not recover), right arm is perfect as I never learned to nudge. Playing without nudging is tough especially when you have the urge to do it and you have developed the skill (it’s a wind up that ruins your game)



My point is this..... if you are a newbie (I wasn’t) be aware of what your body is telling you especially in them early stages when playing for elongated periods, if you are getting niggles…...then back off. I have weight trained a fair bit in the past, play drums everyday (20+ years) and do martial arts (just in case you though it was health or age related) and none of these activities caused RSI (maybe they actually encouraged me to ignore the symptoms as they reinforced the notion that something as harmless as pinball could not possibly cause physical damage), nudging did just that and has caused more harm as a single activity than any other for me personally.



Maybe I was unlucky (not that I believe in luck), did it wrong or have some predisposed weakness to that motion, even so I think the inner weighted push (nudge) is quite a unique motion which can expose the joint to alien pressures which it's ill prepared for (especially nudging a STtNG which weighs the same as a small car).



Nudging has been isolated as the cause as no other activity creates the symptoms and it coincided with the arrival of the TOM which was excessively played (if that's possible).



Stan did say the TOM was evil, maybe he was right but it's still one of my favs.

 

[Judge Dreads]

 

[Rus121]

Got a similar affliction myself. I am riddled with numerous biking injuries (motox events as a teenager), the worst one of them being a fused left shoulder with a severed nerve at c7. Pinball irritates my condition hugely, but i just learned to nudge using my entire body via the 'machine humping' technique.

 

[Judge Dreads]

I will go and dry hump my TOM later to see if that improves my game

 

[Phil Dixon]

I will go and dry hump my TOM later to see if that improves my game

Anyone caught dry humping my machines would be asked to leave

 

[Rus121]

Anyone caught dry humping my machines would be asked to leave

I used to think like that. That was until i got a knee trembler from a roadshow.

Seriously tho, as long as people dont go ape****, i dont mind the odd hump here and there. I had to change out leg bolts and brackets on my old sttng before i sold it due to elongated holes and stripped threads, however. The damn right outlane helped me develop my most powerful hip thrust to date......Should've worn a groin cup to absorb the impact....Oooooo..... Set phaser to HUMP...haha.

 

[Sgt GrizZ]

Phil's pinball 101:



Controversial bit:

DURING MULTIBALL DO NOT CRADLE THE BALLS! Ok, this goes against everyone else but here's my thinking:

1) You are scoring points at 1/3 the rate you are by using all 3 balls

2) You handicap the flipper you are cradling on, watch Bowen play and see how many times balls are lost cause the flipper can't be properly used.

You should keep the balls out of the way by utilising ramps, saucers, jets, scoops/subways etc. Yes, your MB may be shorter but you should score more points and jackpots. It's more fun and the way it's meant to play the game!

Hehheh ....i pretty much agree. I just laugh when I see people cradling the balls when there are umpteen jackpot shots lit all over the place ....as on most Stern games ....you'll prob nail some if you at least smack the balls around !



I can see its use when there is one tricky say Super Jackpot shot that involves coming off another flipper or something. Or if you are a real points whore, certain games you can get an ideal set up where you have 2 balls on 1 flipper and the other flipper can nail a shot, which then feeds back to the same flipper, rinse and repeat all day long my little point loving friends

Mostly though i enjoy seeing people attempt be all cool and clever doing it, and then invariably f*ck it right up and a ball dribbles sdtm and they have achieved jachsh*t and no points. I'm looking at you Tom

. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

 

[highjon]

letting a falling ball bounce onto one flipper over to the other flipp, would be my main improvement tip.

I could do it before, but when I watched that wee Hungarian guy at last years show, I realised that I wasnt using it enough.

Its got to be coming down at a certain angle & speed for it to work obviously, then make a split second decision on whether to let it bounce, or catch, or flip.

 

[D-Type]

I'm no star, but a few tips I've had over the years worked for me:



"Don't hit the ball somewhere where it might end up going towards a drain." and

"Phil, you're not actually watching the ball, that's why you keep losing it."



Things that made the most difference:

Learn to live catch. Some machines harder than others, sloppy flippers make it easier, Sterns seem hardest, maybe because of new flippers or angles.

Drink coke before playing. Or not. If I drink coke, my heads flying and my game falls apart.

Always play first where you can in a multi-player game. WHAT!? I don't like seeing a score to beat, it just puts you under more pressure, IMHO.

Try and watch some world class top players, but don't play against them, it's boring to not be able to walk away. There're tricks out there, but I find the best players just have a generally solid basic game.

Watch others play the machine you're about to play, especially if they're 'heavy handed', so you can see how much you can move it yourself.

 

[jonathan]

I've got to say, I had to stifle a few laughs at people gyrating and grinding in front of the machines at the show. It most definitely ISN'T neccessary! I left the top score on the MM and my dad blitzed the top score on the TOM in the good old standing still in front of the machine position

 

[Judge Dreads]

I've got to say, I had to stifle a few laughs at people gyrating and grinding in front of the machines at the show. It most definitely ISN'T neccessary! I left the top score on the MM and my dad blitzed the top score on the TOM in the good old standing still in front of the machine position

You may turn out to be the world champ if you learn to dry hump the MM, just fitting a shaker motor mod into my TOM as we speak after Russ suggested you can get a knee trembler (top tip)

 

[Sgt GrizZ]

How to up your game???

it must be quite intimidating if your just getting in to pinball , to see the better players with their different styles and techniques.

so, what would be your tip, that you think could help a newbie?

Time you up'd your game isn't it Stan ?

Well done on the Welsh Classic win !

 

[replicas]

Time you up'd your game isn't it Stan ?

Well done on the Welsh Classic win !

Yep Congrats. Spider Pig comes good.

 

[Replay]

Can't advise on playing tips but can on physical problems which may result if you are not careful. When I received my TOM I played it a lot (to the disgust of some out there I’m sure, probably more than my 1st pin which was not excessively nudged). I only learned to nudge with my left arm, this was obviously natural and maybe RHS ball drains are less common within my collection of titles. I am not a big player, there have been times when I go weeks without flicking the switch but constantly nudging the TOM damaged the elbow joint or caused nerve misplacement in my left arm. I can no longer nudge when I play (or it’s definitely a bad idea although I can’t help it sometimes), any nudging flares it up and the flaw is always present (it will not recover), right arm is perfect as I never learned to nudge. Playing without nudging is tough especially when you have the urge to do it and you have developed the skill (it’s a wind up that ruins your game)



My point is this..... if you are a newbie (I wasn’t) be aware of what your body is telling you especially in them early stages when playing for elongated periods, if you are getting niggles…...then back off. I have weight trained a fair bit in the past, play drums everyday (20+ years) and do martial arts (just in case you though it was health or age related) and none of these activities caused RSI (maybe they actually encouraged me to ignore the symptoms as they reinforced the notion that something as harmless as pinball could not possibly cause physical damage), nudging did just that and has caused more harm as a single activity than any other for me personally.



Maybe I was unlucky (not that I believe in luck), did it wrong or have some predisposed weakness to that motion, even so I think the inner weighted push (nudge) is quite a unique motion which can expose the joint to alien pressures which it's ill prepared for (especially nudging a STtNG which weighs the same as a small car).



Nudging has been isolated as the cause as no other activity creates the symptoms and it coincided with the arrival of the TOM which was excessively played (if that's possible).



Stan did say the TOM was evil, maybe he was right but it's still one of my favs.

Thanks for the heads up - not owned a widebody but another reason why not to chase one



Btw, I thought TOM was going to be stupidly easy..........guess, more practice needed!

 

[Judge Dreads]

Btw, I thought TOM was going to be stupidly easy..........guess, more practice needed!

I don't think it's a drainer like some pins and would say it's easy to have a good game on it, that RH ramp can be tricky to nail over and over, had an airball tonight off the trap door as it lifted (didn't know that was possible).

 

[Replay]

I don't think it's a drainer like some pins and would say it's easy to have a good game on it, that RH ramp can be tricky to nail over and over, had an airball tonight off the trap door as it lifted (didn't know that was possible).

And the flow is great and getting to midnight not that easy.......

 

[Thory]

Never knew nudging was so important. I thought I'd get in trouble down the arcade if the owner saw me doing it I take it the machines all have tilt mechanisms so you can't take the **** with the nudging?

 

[replicas]

Never knew nudging was so important. I thought I'd get in trouble down the arcade if the owner saw me doing it

I take it the machines all have tilt mechanisms so you can't take the **** with the nudging?

You can't take the **** on my machines.

Slight nudging yes, throwing it about definitely not.

 

[bartron]

One of the first things you do in competition, is shove the table . just to find the tilt setting, if there is no tilt, bounce it off the wall..

 

[replicas]

One of the first things you do in competition, is shove the table . just to find the tilt setting, if there is no tilt, bounce it off the wall..

Thats why all mine have a fair amount of play before the tilt kicks in.

Also anyone who plays my games I expect to have a bit of respect for other peoples machines.

 

[Mike Kindler]

Re cradling during multiball, on Batman Forever you'd have to be really fortunate to get the Jackpots if you didn't cradle balls in the wizard mode. You have to time the left ramp shot so the ball arrives when the oscillating cannon is vertical again and in a position to accept the ball. Then you have to wait until its gone all the way over and almost back before you can get the super jackpot via the mini ramp firing the ball using the plunger/gun, I think it just won't go if you try and hit it on the outrward sweep! I've only ever got the super jackpot with at least one ball cradled on the left flipper. Its a pretty rare event anyway and a real downer if you get that far and miss it.

 

[bartron]

Pinball played right is an act of violence.

Violence against that steel ball trying to slip past your flippers . Violence against gravity urging that escape along. Violence against the glass top that contains everything happening within and violence against the wooden casket packed with hundreds of moving parts, lights and noise.

You don't play a pinball machine, you fight one; slapping the buttons to knock back balls, bumping and nudging the machine just enough to cheat missed opportunities, but not enough to trigger a "tilt."

 

[Wizcat]

Hi Mike. Bit of a longshot - but don't suppose you have any spare plastics for Batman Forever? I could use a right slingshot plastic (and even more unlikely - a whole new batcave

. Mine is broken just above the start of the left loop. )