Arcade Collecting > Pinball

Stern's New Website

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RayB:
Maybe switch to blue DMDs.  ;D

LLUncoolJ:
or LCDs with naked chicks.

Xiaou2:
 Pinball was never meant to be played by little kids.  They were originally gambling
machines, at Bars.

 The majority of kids that try them are turned off by:

1) The size.  They can barely even see the playfield, let alone see the proper perspective.

2) The difficulty. Unless you know tricks like Nudging, your playtime per ball could be in
the seconds... and feel very disappointing.

3) Complexity. Original pins were very simple, & required you to nudge. They played
about 50% slower (Reduced playfield angle, less powerful coils, etc) ,which made nudging
& controlling the ball much easier.  The ball sorta "Floats" rather than "Rockets" around.

4) There is no "Attraction" showing anything play... such as a video game which
shows itself playing a game, and how that game works.

5) Glare. There is often too much glare on the glass. Overhead lighting is often to
blame... but it can also be sunlight too.

-----

 To make a Kid friendly pin, you would have to:

1) shrink the cabinet height
2) make a backbox with an LCD Attract display
3) place flippers closer together - and or:

  a) make each ball timed,  or
  b) game is set length with bonus time based on score/or when times up & last ball ends.

4) Kid friendly theme w/ vibrant colors
5) Slower game, like the old EMs.
6) Very loose tilt & easier to move machine.
7) Bulletproof Cabinet: Kids are very abusive.
8) Some sort of Anti-glare coating or enclosed light-shield.
9) Spits out tickets
10) Some Speakers closer to front, making easier to hear over loud enviornment.
 

Jeff AMN:
They'd completely lose the home market if they made those sort of changes and most pinheads would stop paying attention.

When demand for games on location dried up, so did the demand for new games. It's hard for today's operator to justify spending $4,000 on a machine to put on location when they could get 3 for that price and make a return on their investment much faster. It puts Stern in a tough position and creating new styles of machines would be a big gamble and they're probably 1 or 2 more flops away from closing their doors. Luckily Iron Man has sold well.

Xiaou2:

--- Quote ---Not bad ideas, but you've pretty much described every redemption game at Dave & Buster's.

Maybe those ideas would 'save pinball' but would you and I want to play those things?  I wouldn't.

--- End quote ---

 I was describing what would draw a younger crowd, & possibly an introduction
to pinball... Not what would save pinball, and not what should be done.

 However, its not impossible to create some hybrid tech, such as a Selectable
skill level for Children, that would pop up a stopper between the flippers during most
of their play.  Thus not effecting the gameplay & design of typical pins, yet getting
a younger gen interested in play, rather than turned off by frustration.


 My point is that Pinball is in Demand: In the Home.  Most all the Thousands and
thousands of Produced from eras of 1950 to 2000, are in home users hands.
If one were to take a full count, the number would be shockingly high.  And yet,
there still is demand for more.  Especially for certain well designed titles.


 Location based Pinball still Could work.  But there has to be much more draw than
yesturyears technology & ideas.

 A very simple idea, would be the ability to network pins & to the internet, giving rise
to competitions, worldwide score data, On-the-fly updates (or purchasable new
updates: new voicework, new modes, new sounds, etc), possible webcam interactions
(or trash talk via Mic), and more.   (No internet Lan lines?  Use included Wireless chip.)

 Special printed cards with magnetic strips could track your Scores, Rank, Stats,
and used as a sort of "Continue" to unlock more things in the game over a long
period of plays.  The cards could also be used as like redemption games, where
points gathered could be used for prizes, discount coupons for local restaurants,
etc.

 The "backbox" LCD,  could be used not only for the games own advertisement and
showing how to play... but also could be used to advertise products.  The sales
of the adds, adding to revenue.

 I could go On and On about what could fix things... but heck, nobody is paying
me a dime, so why bother.  Stern will just fumble it all up no matter what, cause they
have a Donkey-Rear in charge.

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