Pinball Machines
When you drop a quarter into a pinball machine’s coin door, it whirs to life and lights flash. A stainless-steel ball then clinks into place, ready to hurtle down the shooter alley toward a maze of bumpers and ramps.
In order to play the game, you must be able to manipulate the cabinet enough to get the ball through the obstacles without tilting it or losing it. This is a skill that is developed by experienced players and can be very difficult to learn.
Gameplay
Pinball machines use a variety of mechanisms to score points. The player propels a ball through gates, between posts, and off bumpers that have electrical contact points to record a score on a lighted panel. The player also may hit a jackpot, which can be as simple as hitting a ramp or as complex as a series of targets in a certain order.
The game’s layout of scoring opportunities is what makes it interesting and fun to play. This is the reason that more modern games are often much more complex and require a high level of strategy on the part of the player to achieve maximum points.
Older pinball machines used an electromechanical system, where electrical switches embedded in the scoring elements were triggered by the player’s actions and relayed the information to a scoring mechanism. These systems have since been replaced by semiconductor chips that are capable of displaying score information on electronic segmented or dot-matrix displays.
One common type of pinball machine component is a tilt sensor. This is an anti-cheat device that prevents players from shaking the machine too hard and causing it to shoot incorrectly. The device consists of a metal ring with a cone-shaped pendulum bob hanging through it. If the bob touches the ring when a player shakes the machine, it activates the tilt sensor.
Other components of a pinball machine include motors, electromagnets, and solenoids. These devices can draw 500 W momentarily and operate at voltages up to 50 Vdc, depending on the type of device. They are controlled by a variety of outputs, including 16 to 24 outputs for driving solenoids and other mechanical devices within the game.
Typically, the machine also has a dot-matrix display board that is 128×32 or 192×64 pixels in size. This display relays important information to the player, such as the score and hints on how to increase the score and get a free game.
Another component of a pinball machine is the backglass. This is a glass-covered display that shows the name of the game and eye-catching graphics. This is usually located in an upright box at the top of the pinball’s backbox.
Electronics
The modern pinball machine is a complex fusion of mechanical, electrical and electronic parts. The game itself consists of two main items: the ‘backbox’ (the vertical box atop the lower cabinet), and the ‘backglass’, which contains eye-catching graphics related to the theme of the machine, as well as score displays and other mechanical devices tied to gameplay.
The ‘backglass’ is also the place where all of the electronic components are mounted and controlled. A dot-matrix display board, usually 128×32 or 192×64 pixels in size, is the primary electronic device used to relay information to the player and to display score data.
A number of other pieces of electronics are also located in the backbox. These include the tilt sensor, which keeps pinball machine the game from being tipped and tilted off track by players. The tilt sensor is a metal ring with a pendulum bob hanging through it, and the ball must touch this ring before being allowed to travel down the playfield.
Another important piece of electronics in the backbox is a set of switches, which are used to activate the various mechanisms within the game. These switches are connected to the solenoids that fire the flippers, kickers, pop bumpers and other devices.
When a steel ball is thrown across the playfield, it activates a switch, which in turn fires a solenoid that drives a mechanism. This may be a lever arm or a flipper that sends the ball off in another direction.
Eventually, the switches began to be replaced by power transistors under software control. This reduced the switch voltage and current, extended the life of switches, and added more flexibility to game design.
While these technologies are still relatively new, some manufacturers have begun to incorporate them into their pinball machines. For example, Multimorphic has developed a modular system that lets different games be swapped in and out of the cabinet.
The latest virtual pinball machines are also gaining popularity with gamers who want the most realistic and immersive experience possible. These machines feature rumble motors and target solenoids that add a sense of vibration to the playfield, as well as haptic feedback when the ball hits a target.
Flippers
A pinball machine is a type of arcade game where the player controls a ball by moving it through various obstacles and targets on a specially designed playfield. The goal of a pinball game is pinball machine to score points either by hitting the target while it is in progress or when it comes to rest.
Flippers are a crucial part of the gameplay in a pinball game, used to propel the ball up to the bumpers and ramps. The flippers are usually located at the bottom of the playfield, above the center drain.
The solenoids in each flipper are electrically powered and triggered by a push button on the side of the cabinet. These solenoids are often referred to as “coils” or “plungers.”
Solenoids are electromagnetically driven, and use a magnetic field created by the wires in the coils to cause a plunger (usually a metal object) to move and connect mechanically with a feature on the playfield. The plunger is connected to a bumper, a target or a ramp by mechanical parts that are attached to the flipper solenoids.
In older machines, the flipper solenoids were controlled by a mechanical switch that was activated by a lever on the side of the cabinet. In newer machines, the solenoids are controlled by a computer board located behind the backglass. The computer board has a ROM chip that holds all the information that the game needs to run correctly and is tied into the wiring between the solenoids and the other electromechanical features on the machine.
There are a number of types of flippers in a pinball machine, most of which operate similarly to one another. The lower set of flippers are used for launching balls into the playfield, while the upper set of flippers are used for trapping and shooting the ball.
A few other types of flippers are also used in modern machines. Some flippers are more powerful than others, and some may be able to move the ball up to the bumpers and ramps even if the button is not held.
Other flippers are designed to trap the ball while it is being shot and then return it to the player, or to juggle the ball to the other flipper when the first flipper is hit by a second ball. These features are used to add realism to the gameplay in video games that are based on pinball franchises, such as Metroid Prime Pinball or Mario Pinball Land.
Theme
The theme of a pinball machine is a very important part of the game. It is what sets it apart from other types of games and helps players feel immersed in the game world. In addition, the theme can affect the overall gameplay of the game and can provide a unique challenge for players to conquer.
One of the most common themes in pinball is licensed properties from other media such as films, TV shows, and video games. This can include licensing existing game titles, creating original tables based on the theme of an established work, or creating a pinball spin-off of an already existing video game title.
Some of the most popular themes for pinball machines include Marvel franchises, sports, and music. These themes are a great way to bring new players into the sport and can help collectors build a strong collection.
Guardians of the Galaxy, for example, is a pinball machine released in 2017 based on the first movie from Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy series. It features full movie assets and an amazing art package that brings this Marvel theme to life.
Another movie themed table is the Ghostbusters machine, released in 2016. It features custom speech by Ernie Hudson and an amazing art package to bring this famous movie to life.
A very popular sports themed game is the Xtreme Soccer table, a fast paced, action-packed game that makes you feel like you are competing for a spot on the world cup winning team. It has a large playfield that features ramps and chutes to add a level of excitement and difficulty.
Many players find it difficult to master this pinball, as the multi-ball mode is challenging and requires a fair amount of skill to control the ball. However, it has a fantastic soundtrack and is extremely fun to play.
There are also a few rare and very sought-after games that are highly prized by collectors. These games often have a hard time being found at local pinball shops, as the original designs were very simple and lack many features.
