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The Web - VirtUal Pinball eXTreme
Ond:
In the mid 90s a pinball game for PC (and other platforms) was released called Pro Pinball The Web. It was DOS based to start with. I remember the game play and realism was really good compared to other PC pinball games at the time. I revisited it many times over the years including more recently. There were other tables released by Cunning Developments including TimeShock! and others, but this was my favourite in the series. I remember thinking "I wish this could be played on a Vpin in a proper playfield aspect"...
Over on the VPForums I noticed that a member mfuegemann had created a VPX table based closely on the original. On current hardware it plays beautifully (and accurately) especially at 4K. It was all the excuse I needed to start this project. A 3/4 scale Vpin themed around this game! I will also be working on my other main project - Pac Man Legion in the coming weeks.
Whilst I began construction on the cabinet I also started to work on the artwork. The only available artwork for this game is some low res stuff for the back glass and a little for the playfield.
I'm using two monitors, a crisp 4K LG for the main display and a high quality NEC 4:3 unit for the back glass. The backglass screen has a res of 1600 x 1200 and I was determined to get artwork to suit.
To kick of the project I'll share the results of that effort :)
The original back glass artwork generally looks like this:
Closer up on a 1600 x 1200 screen it looks like this;
My reworking, drawn from scratch ended up like this:
Which close up has more satisfying fidelity:
It looks really nice, bright and clear on the back glass monitor. Plenty of build pics, details and the usual gab you've come to expect from me on the way ;D
Ond:
The build so far.
Firstly I must acknowledge other inspirations for building a Vpin.
Malenko's vpin builds got me interested in the first place. You can check out a version of that Here. It's a cute little vpin build fully packed with hardware and looks great finished!
My cabinet is a bit bigger, somewhere around 3/4 scale I guess. That leaves a bit more room for hardware. I'm still undecided about fitting legs to it or having it sit on a table top.. :dunno
I read up on a bunch of build techniques and stuff and then pretty much threw all that out of the window and started making it up as I go along. Most build information is about full size Vpins and often references real pinball machine fabrication methods. That's all good an all but I have my own criteria for success..so...
Still at raw MDF and Marine Ply build stage. I love pics of other peoples raw timber stage projects so here's a few:
The back glass box has to fold down as per the real thing, so I made my own custom brackets which pivot in bushings fitted into the cabinet.
Fit of the playfield and back glass de-cased monitors:
A look inside at the first fitting of some hardware including Subwoofer amp, main amp, main amp power supply and Vesa mount plate:
View under the vesa mount plate to the 6.5" subwoofer driver:
The main speakers and tweeter arrangement. These fit neatly just behind the back glass monitor with a 3/4 inch or so gap beneath the monitor to allow sound out. (You can see that in a previous pic up above):
Subby from underneath, Its recessed right into the thick timber housing in the cabinet. I may or may not cover it with a grill.
This will be running fairly new PC hardware including:
12th gen Intel i7 CPU
DDR 5 supporting motherboard, 32 GB DDR 5 RAM
RTX 3060 Ti GPU
I'm still undecided about the front end software, happy to take recommendations. Apart from the main theme table it will run perhaps another 8 or so tables.
Malenko:
--- Quote from: Ond on February 19, 2024, 10:29:18 pm --- You can check out a version of that Here. It's a cute little vpin build fully packed with hardware and looks great finished!
--- End quote ---
Gingerballs is elated to be mentioned!
I'm sure whatever you make will be a ton better but I'm glad I inspired some people to give it go. Your pinball is going to have better specs than my main rig (a lowly 11th gen i5-11400F).
The one thing I wished I did different was make the monitor come up like a regular playfield , was kinda hoping yours would so I could steal your method for my next one :)
Zebidee:
Great to see more awesome builds coming from you Ond.
If you haven't done so already, be sure to check out Laythe's shape-shifter vpin. Another great project that pays homage to Gingerballs.
Where do you find an NEC 4:3 1600x1200 monitor, and are they expensive?
Ond:
--- Quote from: Malenko on February 20, 2024, 08:13:02 pm ---The one thing I wished I did different was make the monitor come up like a regular playfield , was kinda hoping yours would so I could steal your method for my next one :)
--- End quote ---
I'll document my setup with plenty of detail, hopefully it will be useful to you. I remember watching your build come together and thinking "damn I want one like that". :cheers:
--- Quote from: Zebidee on February 20, 2024, 10:59:38 pm ---Great to see more awesome builds coming from you Ond.
If you haven't done so already, be sure to check out Laythe's shape-shifter vpin. Another great project that pays homage to Gingerballs.
Where do you find an NEC 4:3 1600x1200 monitor, and are they expensive?
--- End quote ---
Thanks Zeb, I followed Laythe's Shape-Shifter build at the time in pure AWE. That build is a Tier -1 project of which there are only a few. Laythe is on my A-List of builders, which is a real short list.
Yeah that monitor...I bought it years ago when I actually worked for NEC Australia. We needed a new fridge at the time and that monitor cost more! :lol I think it predates IPS technology, but the full range viewing angles are astounding, right out to 178º. Of course pics are the proof, so I'll post them when I get to that stage. Chance of locating one now..very low I'd think. Retail price at the time was about $850, with my employee discount I think I paid about $650.
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