From: "Peter Aptenodytes" Subject: [PS] Pro Pinball 3 Date: 06 Nov 1998 13:14:53 PST Anyone tried Big Race USA yet? ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com [ To quit the Pinball Simulation mailing list, send the message ] [ "unsubscribe pinsim" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Richard Horrocks Subject: re: [PS] Pro Pinball 3 Date: 07 Nov 1998 16:35:13 GMT > Anyone tried Big Race USA yet? Yes, but I probably don't count. ;^) Champie [ To quit the Pinball Simulation mailing list, send the message ] [ "unsubscribe pinsim" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Gregory A. Swarthout" Subject: [PS] Pinball & Network Date: 07 Nov 1998 18:38:52 -0700 I found somewhere on the net that some of the pinballs (that will be released in near future - eg BRUSA) will work in networked mode. I wonder what does it mean - can we play in multiplayer mode in such a way that two players play simultanously or players play like in standard (one-computer) multiplayer mode one after another but on different computers? Does anyone have any idea? Wojciech Wylon Ganymede Techologies [ To quit the Pinball Simulation mailing list, send the message ] [ "unsubscribe pinsim" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Gregory A. Swarthout" Subject: Re: [PS] Pro Pinball 3 Date: 07 Nov 1998 19:05:07 -0700 Haven't heard enough about it to purchase it yet. I usually wait to hear a few reviews for an evaluation before I make a purchase. Has anyone heard about the Microsoft Pinball Arcade yet, like when it's due out or anything? [ To quit the Pinball Simulation mailing list, send the message ] [ "unsubscribe pinsim" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Dan Arkkelin" Subject: RE: [PS] Pro Pinball 3 Date: 07 Nov 1998 20:11:20 -0600 i think pinball arcade is already out--you can download the demo from microsoft's site. i thought timeshock was the best simulation out until i checked out pinball arcade--it's unbelievably realistic (you can even hear the ball crack on the "glass" when it bounces up!). -----Original Message----- [mailto:owner-pinsim@lists.xmission.com]On Behalf Of Gregory A. Swarthout Sent: Saturday, November 07, 1998 8:05 PM Haven't heard enough about it to purchase it yet. I usually wait to hear a few reviews for an evaluation before I make a purchase. Has anyone heard about the Microsoft Pinball Arcade yet, like when it's due out or anything? [ To quit the Pinball Simulation mailing list, send the message ] [ "unsubscribe pinsim" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] [ To quit the Pinball Simulation mailing list, send the message ] [ "unsubscribe pinsim" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "William Stilwell" Subject: [PS] Re: Microsoft Pinball Arcade Date: 07 Nov 1998 18:25:37 PST Purchased it --it set up well under Win98. Fun in a historic sense. Good mechanical feel and sounds. wpstilwell2746@hotmail.com ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com [ To quit the Pinball Simulation mailing list, send the message ] [ "unsubscribe pinsim" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Subject: RE: [PS] Pro Pinball 3 Date: 08 Nov 1998 11:13:48 +0100 (MET) On Sat, 7 Nov 1998, Dan Arkkelin wrote: > i think pinball arcade is already out--you can download the demo from > microsoft's site. i thought timeshock was the best simulation out until i > checked out pinball arcade--it's unbelievably realistic (you can even hear > the ball crack on the "glass" when it bounces up!). MS Pinball Arcade seems to be not available in Europe yet. PP: Brusa was released 30th October here in Germany but not in the US until now. Well, Brusa isn't Timeshock and you should really download a demo when it will be available and then check if you like the table. Cheers -Carsten [ To quit the Pinball Simulation mailing list, send the message ] [ "unsubscribe pinsim" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Gregory A. Swarthout" Subject: re: [PS] Pinball & Network Date: 08 Nov 1998 14:05:03 -0700 In a Head-to-Head game of BRUSA, both players play at the same time, but shots you make on your table can affect what happens on your opponents table. There are three rounds, each is a sort of race, where you are trying to make shots to get to the finish line first. Champie - Pro Pinball Programmer > From: Marek Wylon > I found somewhere on the net that some of the pinballs > (that will be released in near future - eg BRUSA) will work in > networked mode. I wonder what does it mean - [ To quit the Pinball Simulation mailing list, send the message ] [ "unsubscribe pinsim" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Matt Subject: Re: [PS] Pro Pinball 3 Date: 08 Nov 1998 21:57:34 -0500 At 07:05 PM 11/7/98 -0700, you wrote: >From: "Thomas Lindsey" > >Haven't heard enough about it to purchase it yet. I usually wait to hear >a few reviews for an evaluation before I make a purchase. Has anyone >heard about the Microsoft Pinball Arcade yet, like when it's due out or >anything? > >[ To quit the Pinball Simulation mailing list, send the message ] >[ "unsubscribe pinsim" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] > Hello there, Microsoft Pinball Arcade is out.... I picked it up last weekend for $29.99 at Babbages in New Hampshire.... Matt NetWay Techie mattg@netway.com [ To quit the Pinball Simulation mailing list, send the message ] [ "unsubscribe pinsim" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Subject: Re: [PS] Pro Pinball 3 Date: 09 Nov 1998 10:47:19 +0100 (MET) A preview at Adrenaline Vault: http://www.avault.com/previews/brusa.asp -Carsten [ To quit the Pinball Simulation mailing list, send the message ] [ "unsubscribe pinsim" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Marek Wylon Subject: BRUSA (was RE: [PS] Pinball & Network) Date: 10 Nov 1998 11:29:49 +0100 >From: Champie >In a Head-to-Head game of BRUSA, both players play at the same time, but >shots you make on your table can affect what happens on your opponents >table. There are three rounds, each is a sort of race, where you are >trying to make shots to get to the finish line first. >Champie - Pro Pinball Programmer It nice that we have occasion to talk with someone from ProPinball development team. I have not seen final version of BRUSA so far and I have some questions. I found Information that you have 'motion blur' effect on the ball. Can you describe in some words what does it mean? How many different modes do you have in the game? When BRUSA will be available in the USA? WW Programmer Ganymede Technologies [ To quit the Pinball Simulation mailing list, send the message ] [ "unsubscribe pinsim" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Gregory A. Swarthout" Subject: Re: BRUSA (was RE: [PS] Pinball & Network) Date: 10 Nov 1998 10:18:10 -0700 > I found Information that you have 'motion blur' effect on the ball. Can you describe in > some words what does it mean? Motion blur is basically the "trail" you behind a fast moving object when viewed on film/TV. This means that fast moving balls look like a streak across the table. The game allows you some control over how visible this trail is. > How many different modes do you have in the game? There are 16 cities, each of which has it's own mode, though some of these are simple quickshots. Then there are loads of other features including various frenzies, challenges, and a race mode where you try to get back from San Francisco to New York. > When BRUSA will be available in the USA? Although the PC version is finished, we cannot release it in the US before the Playstation version. We're just finishing that now, though to be honest, the chances of it getting through Sony's approval system in time for a XMas release are pretty slim, so I'd expect to see it early next year. Champie - Pro Pinball Programmer [ To quit the Pinball Simulation mailing list, send the message ] [ "unsubscribe pinsim" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Thomas Lindsey" Subject: Re: [PS] Re: Microsoft Pinball Arcade Date: 10 Nov 1998 15:11:48 PST How about Microsoft Arcade running under Win95? Anyone know about the performance? ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com [ To quit the Pinball Simulation mailing list, send the message ] [ "unsubscribe pinsim" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Subject: Re: BRUSA (was RE: [PS] Pinball & Network) Date: 11 Nov 1998 11:46:16 +0100 (MET) On Tue, 10 Nov 1998, Gregory A. Swarthout wrote: > > How many different modes do you have in the game? > > There are 16 cities, each of which has it's own mode, though some of these > are simple quickshots. But they are assigned randomly. At least it seems to me like that. Most often I get "Mall Mayhem" first. "Speed Hump Hilarity" is second most in my case. -Carsten [ To quit the Pinball Simulation mailing list, send the message ] [ "unsubscribe pinsim" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Gregory A. Swarthout" Subject: [PS] [Fwd: PIN #06] Date: 11 Nov 1998 18:47:50 -0700 This is a multi-part message in MIME format. --------------D1ECF28933DE0C7782F77CCA Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit --------------D1ECF28933DE0C7782F77CCA Content-Type: message/rfc822 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline Envelope-to: gregorys@xmission.com Received: from [199.171.16.53] (helo=www.webworqs.com ident=root) by mail.xmission.com with esmtp (Exim 2.04 #1) id 0zdlRc-0004WD-00 for gregorys@xmission.com; Wed, 11 Nov 1998 18:21:08 -0700 Received: from xflies (dialup148-3-46.swipnet.se [130.244.148.174]) by www.webworqs.com (8.8.5/8.8.5) with SMTP id SAA15367; Wed, 11 Nov 1998 18:49:38 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <3.0.32.19981112004948.0077eea8@pcpinball.com> X-Sender: samgab@pcpinball.com (Unverified) X-Mailer: Windows Eudora Pro Version 3.0 (32) Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" PIN #06 1998, November Sam Gabrielsson Table of Contents 01. Editorial 02. Interview with Bill Budge 03. Pro Pinball - Big Race U.S.A (BRUSA) 04. Microsoft Pinball Arcade 05. Simulations of real pinballs 06. 3D Ultra Pinball 4: NASCAR Pinball 07. Full Tilt! Cheat 08. Phaedrus's Rules of Pinball 09. Upcoming & Released 1. Editorial Yes, the sex issue is here... err the sixth issue that is so don't get any funny ideas! Anyway it is here, so simply read and enjoy a moment of... pinball! The main attraction of this mail is an interview with noone else than, Bill Budge! Creator of Raster Blaster and Pinball Construction Kit, that is the first pinball simulation and the first pinball editor! There is ofcourse also some comments on this years main attraction, Pro Pinball - Big Race U.S.A. Believe me this is something you really should get hold off, specifically for the head-to-head implementation, just sooo fun! :) Microsoft is also releasing their MS Pinball Arcade this fall, it will maybe not be quite in the same league as the pro pinball series (on concern of realism) but it features 7 tables, all simulations of real pinballs! Sierra is also coming out with their fourth pinball, this time a car themed one approved by Nascar. There is also some other pinballs on the way, but they are further away and I have no idea whetever or whenever they will be release, so that is another issue. I didn't write so many small articles this time, just concentrated on the big releases. Who knows, maybe I'll do things differently next time. If there is any people who would like me to send out these clubmails more often then feel free to send me articles, tips on articles, etc... I wont mind. Before I finish off this letter editorial I just wanted to point out that there is now a Pinball Simulation Mailing List (maintained by Gregory A. Swarthout). Join the list by filling out the form on the club page: http://www.pcpinball.com/club/psmlist.html Oh, by the way, wish me a happy birthday (on 11/11)! :) 2. Interview with Bill Budge Bill Budge! The creator of both Raster Blaster and Pinball Construction Kit, the first pinball simulation and the first pinball editor (you will have to take my word for it that they are the first)! Here follows an interview with him, hope you like it! The interview asks questions about how the pinballs he developed came to be and also investigates the history of computers a little... The Interview... [Sam Gabrielsson]: Godday Mr. Budge. A simple question, who are you? (if it is not to personal, how old are you? :) [Bill Budge]: I'm a guy who likes to build things. I discovered computer programming as a teenager in the late 60's. While in the PhD program at UC Berkeley, I got an Apple II and began writing video games for fun. I liked it so much I stopped being a student and became a game programmer. I'm 44, married to a beautiful woman from Chile, and have two little kids, aged 3 and 5. [SG]: What are you doing today? Still programming all you can, or have you taken the step up (down?) to be the organizer of lots of other programmers or are you just relaxing with a lot of money at some calm Hawaii hotel... or what do you do? :) [BB]: I'm still programming. I love to build things, and software is the ultimate construction toy. I do work with other programmers though. [SG]: By memory, how many titles (games, programs, whatever) have you created? Might be quite a lot, feel free to mention just the titles of the ones you are most happy with or maybe the ones that were most successful. Just curious on what you have created! [BB]: About a dozen - let's see... First was inspired by Pong, called Penny Arcade and traded to Apple Computer for a printer. Then some more Apple II games. I did a 3-d vector graphics game construction set, then Raster Blaster, the first personal computer pinball simulation. (Someone did a really nice arcade sim before me) I extended RB to get Pinball Construction Set, which is probably my major claim to fame. More recently, I completed a version of PCS for the Sega Genesis, called Virtual Pinball, published by Electronic Arts. At 3DO, I did a 3DO Multiplayer game called Blade Force, and worked on an Olympic Decathlon game. Since then, I've been doing engines and tools for PC games. [SG]: Where did you grow up and where do you by the way live today? Did/do you like the places? [BB]: My family moved around a lot; I've lived in Raleigh, NC, Buffalo NY, Chicago, Los Angeles, Wichita KA and finally, the San Francisco - Bay Area. I love it here. [SG]: Let me jump directly to a quick pinball question, did you play any pinballs as young? If so, any special ones you remember? If you had no contact with pinballs at all as young, when did you come in contact with one the first time? [BB]: Never. Only when I was an engineer at Apple Computer in the early 80's. Woz and a lot of the other engineers became obsessed with pinball, and I picked it up from them. [SG]: Today, do you play lots of lots of pinball all the day in the arcade or on the computer? :) [BB]: Neither. With work and kids, I don't have time for much else. [SG]: Do you remember which your first contact with computers was, which the first computer you owned was (I suppose there might be a big time gap between those two occasions and then again maybe not, I don't know)? [BB]: First computer programmed - An IBM 1401, a real antique. First computer owned - an Apple II, serial number about 10,000. [SG]: As might not be a surprising question in an interview with a programmer, when did you start programming and well... on what, why and what (interpret that in some way you think is correct)? [BB]: A math teacher in my high school, Harriet Hungate, started a computer programming class. I took it out of curiosity and after a week of total confusion realized what I wanted to do as a career. A local business loaned us some time on an IBM 1401. We wrote programs in assembler on coding sheets, they got punched into decks of cards, and we got printer output. I wrote multiply subroutines at first, obsessed with improving them. Then more math stuff, like division, factorials and square roots. This was a very primitive computer. Later someone gave us time on a machine that had a FORTRAN compiler. Finally, we got a terminal which could link up to a minicomputer with BASIC, and I wrote tic-tac-toe, checkers and GO games. My unfinished project was a Geometry Theorem Prover. [SG]: What was the situation like when you started programming, even if your aim wasn't to get work as a programmer, would it have been hard? [BB]: It didn't occur to me that I could make money at programming then. Probably not if I'd been more of a hustler. [SG]: So, what was your first finished v.1.0 of a game or program? You still got it lying around somewhere or has it been lost somewhere unknown? [BB]: Probably Tic-tac-toe. I think I have the source listing stored away. I definitely have some of my first programs saved. [SG]: Would you like to tell us a little more about your early days as an more or less experienced programmer? I mean more like, what did you do to work your way up to wherever you have ended up, or are you maybe still aiming for something! Maybe you could start with your time at Electronic Arts, that was the first company you worked for, right? What did you do? [BB]: The learning process never ends. I've improved my skills significantly this year, and I'm 44! I was always a good programmer, almost from the start, but I had a lot to learn. It's a common fantasy, when you're starting, to believe you're the best programmer in the world, because other programmers' work isn't that visible. I've come a long long way since then, but in some sense, I still have about the same intelligence and creativity. [SG]: When did you write Pinball Construction Kit and why, what is the background for the game? For which platform did you originally write the pinball (I think it has been ported to quite a lot of systems?). [BB]: I wrote it in 1982. It's descended from Raster Blaster, which I wrote in 1981. I rewrote the pinball simulation to make it more robust, and added the GUI editor. It was originally written for the Apple II, but I ported it to Atari 800 and Macintosh, and EA hired programmers to port it to IBM PC and Commodore 64. I totally rewrote the whole thing in 1993 for Sega Genesis Virtual Pinball. It's the same idea, with a better simulation, better graphics and sound, and a simpler interface. [SG]: Were you happy with PCK? I have read that the wysiwig interface featured in the pinball was pretty unique when it came out, sort of the first game to feature a graphical level editor? [BB] Yes, I was very satisfied. I was inspired by the Xerox Parc work on GUI's. I had to solve a lot of problems to build all of that on an Apple II. [SG]: Tell me about Raster Blaster!!! When did it come out, for what computer, why did you make it, give us the full story! :) [BB]: Raster Blaster was also an Apple II game. I did it in my spare time while working as a graphics engineer at Apple Computer. I had seen an arcade pinball, and had learned enough about hi-resolution graphics to realize that a very nice simulation could be done on the Apple. For the first couple of weeks, I built the basic simulation and built a board database by hand. Nobody quite understood what I was doing. Then one night I got the ball bouncing around on the board and it became apparent how cool it would look (by 1981 standards at least) I got the rest going pretty quickly. I made myself some bitmap editing tools (which were included in PCS) and made it look pretty. Flippers took a while to implement. They're definitely the most complicated thing for me. I also had some trouble with collision detection, with balls getting stuck to walls, or slipping through. Eventually I got it pretty solid. I had my own company to market the game and we sold quite a few without much effort. [SG]: What other pinballs have you written? [BB]: That's it! [SG]: What do you think of the pinball simulations and the pinball editors released today (not sure if you have tried any?)? [BB]: I haven't played too much; the ones I've seen look very good, and I'm sure the latest ones are great. Much better than my early stuff, which wasn't very realistic. [SG]: I read some notice that EA in it's early days packed their games like lp records and send people like you out on... "autograph signing tours"? You got to tell me something more about this, sounds like a kind of unusual idea! Did it work out well like a promoting thing? (could you email me your autograph? :) [BB]: Yeah, they sent me out on a kind of celebrity rock star tour. But it became obvious pretty quickly that programmers aren't quite rock stars. But it was a fun experience. I don't have a scanned autograph yet! [SG]: What did you do after EA? I know a pinball by the name "Virtual Pinball" for Sega Genesis was released by BudeCo Inc. in 1993, is that some company of your own? Is it still in business? [BB]: That's an EA game too. [SG]: So, when did you start working at Studio 3DO? What do you do there? (I'm pretty sure that you are working at 3DO today, if you don't, how come you have this email? :) [BB]: I started in 1993. My official title is "Distinguished Engineer", which is kind of like a fellow. So I get to work on cool new stuff, like game engines. [SG]: Anything really special you remember from your computer programming life so far that you would like to share with us? Any important step in your career I haven't asked about? [BB]: My programming teacher in high school was great. She let us discover things by ourselves. So I actually discovered the "loop" by myself. That was a transcendent moment for me. Getting my first pong ball bouncing around on the screen, that was another one. [SG]: If you today look back on the two occasions when you had your first contact with a computer and when you got your first computer, how have computers developed in your eyes until today? (maybe not only in terms of speed and hardware, but in usability, affect on people etc.) [BB]: Computers were big expensive machines that you never touched. You didn't really interact with them. Some, like university minis had graphics and cool peripherals, but I couldn't get my hands on. It was great to have my own Apple II with graphics and sound. Even though it wasn't that powerful, you got the whole machine. Now, with the Internet, and the kind of hardware and tools that are available, the promise of computing is being realized, so I would say that the impact of the computer has increased dramatically. [SG]: Most interesting of all, do you find the way things have evolved good, fascinating or bad (and why in any case)? Is anything (concerning the computer world then) today like you expected it to be when you began your career? [BB]: Good. So many things are better because of computers, from cars to toys. I never thought the average person would ever be buying software! [SG]: Let's say I think it would be cool if computers evolved so that one on the computer could simulate a real pinball so that it looks as well as feels as a real pinball (maybe a vr or holographic pinball), do you think that will ever be possible? I imagine you as the one and only person who can answer this question correctly! What is your view on the future of computers? [BB]: Some areas of technology like computing cost and speed are advancing rapidly. But other technologies, like true 3D displays and tactile feedback are in their infancies and may face insurmountable obstacles. For example, feedback to simulate a solid object requires force powerful enough to rip your arm off. I could be wrong, but I think computer pinball should strive to exploit its special advantages, rather than just be a copy of real pinball machines. [SG]: My last pinball question to you, are you planning on in some way in the future being active in the release of another pinball? [BB]: Probably not, but you never know. There are interesting problems to solve. [SG]: A last question, when EA published their first games they produced an ad that said: "Software artists? It is a name these people are uncomfortable with. 'I'm not so sure there are any software artists yet', says BB. 'Maybe we've got to earn that title.'" Well, have you? (don't be modest!) [BB]: I think I was talking about game design. There is art in just about anything, but I'm strictly an engineer at this point in my career, so I'd have to say "No". But I'd like to design a game again some day. [SG]: Anything else you want to say...? [BB] No, but thanks for the questions. Please forward any club newsletters, I'd be interested. Thanks for Answering! 3. Pro Pinball - Big Race U.S.A (BRUSA) "your powers are weak old taxi" - the police car (brusa) This is the third title in the pro pinball series and it is just as great as the previous ones. BRUSA is a little more on the humorous side than the previous titles in the series. It also differs from the previous titles by not featuring a sci-fi themed table, instead it is cars that are the stars and theme of the table. Mean cars, sweet cars, funny cars... The main theme of the pinball is to travel across USA to San Francisco and well there win the big race (hence, Big Race U.S.A). Sound simple? Well there is a lot more to it, and who knows, maybe something really really big is out there? You must accomplish a lot of modes, duel other cars, pick up passengers in your taxi and so on. It is all very neat and fun. Depending on what kind of pinball player you are you might find BRUSA a bit easier to get into than timeshock! maybe was. There is still lots to do and you do have to learn the tables secrets and work the theme out for yourself like in all other pinballs, but isn't that the fun part? And the best of all, there is a head-to-head feature available. You connect to the internet (you can play over ipx etc too), load up the brusa table and from a menu enter a chat lobby. Here you can meet other players and challenge them in ladder and friendly matches of pinball! You both play simultaneously against each other in specially formed matches. The matches are made up of three rounds, you and your opponent compete to win each round, and in the third round you play the big race - lock balls to overtake your opponent and get first to the finishing line! It is fun! [BRUSA REVIEW] http://www.pcpinball.com/reviews/english/sims/ppbrusa.html 4. Microsoft Pinball Arcade This pinball features 7 tables which are all simulations of real tables (created by Gottlieb). The tables are: Baffle Ball (1932, first pinball prototype I believe), Humpty Dumpty (1947), Knock Out (1950), Slick Chick (1963), Spirit of '76 (1976), Haunted House (1982), Cue Ball Wizard (1993). So if you are a fan of any of those tables you are probably looking forward to the release of this pinball which should happen sometime during November this year. Are the tables in MPA authentic and perfect simulations of the real tables, you might wonder? Well, not perfect anyhow... How are they compared to other attempts of simulating real existing pinball tables, in my opinion a lot better! I feel that anyone a fan of the real tables will probably like this package, anyone looking for just a realistic pinball simulation will probably be a little disappointed (the ball/flipper physics just aren't like you want them to be, though still acceptable they are not exactly in the leauge of the realistic pinball simulations like the pro pinballs). Graphically the tables look nice. As for the SFX it is also very nice and consists of samples recorded from the real tables. Anyway, when playing you can have a little fun and just getting to try out these old tables on your computer is kind a fun even though you probably wont spend any hours in front of it (with the exception of Baffle Ball then, which I kind a like nomatter what)! I haven't yet played the final version and can only base my judgement on the beta version. MPA is scheduled for a release in US during week 45 and for a Europe release during week 46. Should be out by now then! Read the preview I wrote of this pinball for a well motivated judgement (duh) on the non-finished version of the pinball which was released by ms for reviewing purpose. [MPA HOMEPAGE] http://www.microsoft.com/games/pinball/default.htm [MPA DEMO] http://www.pcpinball.com/files/demos/pc/mpad.html [MPA PREVIEW] http://www.pcpinball.com/news/previews/p0007.html 5. Simulations of real pinballs List of simulations of real pinballs. Eight Ball Deluxe and Royal Flush from Amtex (pc/mac) Elvira and Police Force together under the name Pinball Jam (Atari Lynx) Pinbot and High Speed (8-bit nintendo) High Speed II: The Getaway (gameboy) Baffle Ball/Humpty Dumpty/Knock Out/Slick Chick/Spirit of '76/Haunted House/Cue Ball Wizard together under the name Microsoft Pinball Arcade (pc) A small sidenote: A very common problem (I've been told a couple of times) when a developer gets the idea to produce a simulation of a real pinball table is the license. Convincing a company to sell the license of their pinball to the developer for the sole purpose of creating a simulation isn't easy. Money might be one problem though the biggest problem most certainly is that companies tend to sometimes think, "why should we, we can do it ourselves sometime if we see a reason for it"... I don't mean to judge, maybe they can too. If you wonder why only Gottlieb tables are included in MPA I believe I might just have given you the answer. 6. 3D Ultra Pinball 4: NASCAR Pinball Around November 14th we should expect this pinball to be released. Pay a visit to the nascarpinball.com pages for lots of screenshots and information about the pinball. Three tables are featured: The Garage, Each race starts in the garage where you tune up your car for the race. There you will see your car and 8 targets representing parts you can adjust to improve your car's performance. The Speedway, This is where the races will be held and where you'll be scoring the points to win them. The Pitstop, The pitstop table is where you go to rejuvenate your car after all the wear and tear of the Speedway. Your car is losing efficiency with every lap and accident. Finally: If you win enough races, you'll get a chance at the championship in a special Winner's Circle event. You win races by scoring as many points as possible. [NASCAR PINBALL HOMEPAGE] http://www.nascarpinball.com/ [NASCAR PINBALL DEMO] http://www.pcpinball.com/files/demos/pc/3dup4d.html 7. Full Tilt! Cheat Hopefully this will end the neverending "is there a cheat for space cadet" (one of three tables featured in Full Tilt!), end the neverending, isn't that a contradiction of some kind? No, there is no cheat (if you can probe me wrong, do so, I doubt you can), there is a trainer though. Download it from: http://perl.gamespot.com/perl/download?/puzzle/fulltilt/ftpbedit.zip I haven't actually tried it, but I've been told it works. Please realise that pinballs are not made for you to cheat with! :) 8. Phaedrus's Rules of Pinball Isaac Asimov worked out how the large masses of humanity could be controlled, why shouldn't someone work out the laws of pinball? These are the laws for real pinballs though they highly apply for simulations as well (just imagine it beeing the big red on/off button on your computer beeing pressed in law #6 for example). Original by Mark Phaedrus Modified and added to by Dave Hollinsworth (published without eithers permission) Rule #1: Terrible breaks and stupid mistakes go up exponentially with your proximity to the high score. Corollary #1: If you do spectacularly well on ball 1 (more than your average total score), balls 2 and 3 will inevitably score a total of the skill shot plus one pop bumper (and an outlane, if you're REALLY lucky....) Rule #2: Your chances of making a shot are inversely proportional to how important that shot is. Corollary #1: You will make without any effort any shot, no matter how difficult or complex, when all awards for that shot are unlit. Rule #3: The number of onlookers is directly proportional to your desire to be left alone. Corollary #1: You will draw a large audience right before you are about to screw up. You will have no audience when you make the pinball do the physically impossible. Rule #4: Credits awarded are inversely proportional to your time and willingness to play them. Corollary #1: It is impossible to lose whenever you should be attending a final exam. Rule #5: Given two highly valuable shots separated by a post, the ball will invariably hit the post. Rule #6: Right before you've earned a replay, or just before the end of a great game that will get you on the high score list, a small child will come up to your game and press the brightly flashing start button. Or, the ball will get irretrievably wedged somewhere. Rule #7: The Law of Conservation of Drains: If the number of balls draining out one place is abruptly reduced, the number of drains out the other two must rise to compensate. Rule #8: When the outlanes are lit for Special, every ball will drain out the center, no matter how long you play or how many multiballs you start. Rule #9: The match percentage increases in direct proportion to how much you are waiting for the current player to leave. Rule #10: You will only get a match credit after a game which gives you a replay credit, a Special credit, and 2 Grand Champion credits. Rule #11: Any shot that changes the lit mode will cycle through all of them and wind up on the same one it started out on. 9. Upcoming & Released (since the last club mail) [http://www.pcpinball.com/news/oracle/] 3D Ultra Pinball 4: Nascar Pinball (Sierra) (PC/MAC) www.nascarpinball.com Sierras next in line racing game, for any fan of the 3dup series it seems to not be a disappointment. Scheduled for a release November 1998 (this month!). Visit the nascarpinball domain for lots of pictures and information about the pinball, there is also a demo available for download! Addams Family Pinball | (Digital Eclipse) (PC/N68/PSX) www.digitaleclipse.com Christmas 98 was a release date I heard of a couple of months ago, though I have no idea whetever this release date is accurate or not. Recently the short notice about this product that used to be featured on DE's homepage dissapeared... So it is very little I know about this product. Angel Egg (LittleWing) (PC/MAC) www.littlewing.co.jp LittleWings fifth pinball I think, not yet released in english but should soon be. Word has it holds up to the expectations, so fans of the littlewing pinball series have something to look forward too! "Boomerang" (21st Century Ltd.) (PC) www.21stcent.com Not really a pinball, more of an breakout style game I think. It should have been released second quarter this year if one is to believe the publishers, though I don't know of it having been released. David Macaulay Pinball Science (Dorling Kindersley?) (PC) www.dk.com A kind of childs educational title for pinball released sometime in august-october this year. The basic idea is that children get a grasp of the physics of pinball as they build their own tables. There is three different pinball worlds to explore, within each of these worlds there are 300 different questions to answer - and of course, plenty of arcade style pinball action to be had too. As you advance and learn more about pinball the more things will be available for you to build your own table. Golden Logres (LittleWing) (PC/MAC) www.littlewing.co.jp A internet version is available of it (you download a tryout demo version from their page, having downloaded it you pay a registration fee to LW and they will email you a serial code). Last Gladiator V.9.7 (KaZe) (PC) www.kaze.net Nothing new, last word about this pc conversion of the popular saturn pinball was that it would be released at the end of this year. It is likely that will happen, though I haven't been able to get any confirmation on it. Microsoft Pinball Arcade (Microsoft) (PC, what did you think) www.microsoft.com/pinball Look at the heading a bit further up in the letter for more information. US/Europe release for weeks 45/46 (so it is likely it is available where you live now)! Pro Pinball - Big Race USA (Cunning Developments) (PC/MAC/PSX) www.propinball.com Look at the heading a bit further up in the letter for more information. It will be released for both mac and pc. No, there was no simultaneous release... The pc version of brusa should be hitting the streets of europe in november. The mac version should also get out during november but more likely at the end of the month. As for the us version, it is slightly delayed apparently, though that is all I know. SlamTilt 3D The Resurrection (21st Century Ltd.) (PC) www.21stcent.com A 3D version of the good old scroller SlamTilt. Have no clue of know when it will be released. (end of file) Subscribe: pinclub@pcpinball.com (subject: sign me in) Unsubscribe: pinclub@pcpinball.com (subject: unsubscribe club) Read more: http://www.pcpinball.com/club/ Copyright (C) Sam Gabrielsson (ttop) Permission is given to freely distribute/publish/copy this letter. Please let me know if you do any such thing. The Tower of Pin: http://www.pcpinball.com/ - sam gabrielsson sam@pcpinball.com www.pcpinball.com --------------D1ECF28933DE0C7782F77CCA-- [ To quit the Pinball Simulation mailing list, send the message ] [ "unsubscribe pinsim" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: shade@cix.compulink.co.uk (Adrian Barritt) Subject: Re: BRUSA (was RE: [PS] Pinball & Network) Date: 12 Nov 1998 08:54 GMT0 In-Reply-To: Carsten wrote: > But they are assigned randomly. At least it seems to me like that. > Most often I get "Mall Mayhem" first. > "Speed Hump Hilarity" is second most in my case. As it happens, by default, the modes are assigned semi-randomly. All the modes are split into two groups, with one group being assigned to the West and the other the East. Which means if you travel far enough West you might get to see some modes that you haven't before. Ade - Cunning Developments. [ To quit the Pinball Simulation mailing list, send the message ] [ "unsubscribe pinsim" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Champie Subject: Re: BRUSA (was RE: [PS] Pinball & Network) Date: 12 Nov 1998 10:42:24 GMT Have a look in the operators menu, there's adjustments that give you some control over how the modes are allocated. Champie - Pro Pinball Programmer [ To quit the Pinball Simulation mailing list, send the message ] [ "unsubscribe pinsim" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: eastereg@concentric.net Subject: Re: BRUSA (was RE: [PS] Pinball & Network) Date: 12 Nov 1998 04:49:06 -0600 At 10:42 AM 11/12/98 GMT, you wrote: >Have a look in the operators menu, there's adjustments that give you >some control over how the modes are allocated. > >Champie - Pro Pinball Programmer Is there a option in BRUSA to adjust the gamma this time ? Ive noticed that the first 2 in the series have been pretty dark using some of the higher resolutions. Before someone asks... No I dont like to adjust my monitor just to play a game. Thanx [ To quit the Pinball Simulation mailing list, send the message ] [ "unsubscribe pinsim" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Champie Subject: Re: BRUSA (was RE: [PS] Pinball & Network) Date: 12 Nov 1998 13:20:00 GMT Currently no, as the GFX are all stored as 24-bit, it would involve processing them at load time. Gamma adjustment is on our wishlist, and may well appear in a patch if we get time to look into it. Champie - Pro Pinball Programmer > Is there a option in BRUSA to adjust the gamma this time ? > Ive noticed that the first 2 in the series have been pretty dark > using some of the higher resolutions. > Before someone asks... > No I dont like to adjust my monitor just to play a game. [ To quit the Pinball Simulation mailing list, send the message ] [ "unsubscribe pinsim" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Martin Mathis Subject: [PS] 21st Century Date: 15 Nov 1998 02:24:46 -0700 Hi, does anyone know if 21st Century has gone out of business? I've been unable to reach their Web site for weeks and tonight it even said the domain name doesn't exist. I'd like to know so I can keep the links I have on my pinball page current (i.e. get rid of dead ones etc.). Best, -Martin [ To quit the Pinball Simulation mailing list, send the message ] [ "unsubscribe pinsim" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Gregory A. Swarthout" Subject: RE: [PS] 21st Century Date: 16 Nov 1998 20:34:33 -0700 I'm pretty sure they have Terry -----Original Message----- [mailto:owner-pinsim@lists.xmission.com]On Behalf Of Martin Mathis Sent: 15 November 1998 09:25 Hi, does anyone know if 21st Century has gone out of business? I've been unable to reach their Web site for weeks and tonight it even said the domain name doesn't exist. I'd like to know so I can keep the links I have on my pinball page current (i.e. get rid of dead ones etc.). Best, -Martin [ To quit the Pinball Simulation mailing list, send the message ] [ "unsubscribe pinsim" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Martin Mathis Subject: RE: [PS] 21st Century Date: 16 Nov 1998 23:26:31 -0700 At 08:34 PM 11/16/98 -0700, the hands of Gregory A. Swarthout typed: >From: "Terry S" > >I'm pretty sure they have Thanks, Terry. My e-mail to the domain admin (info InterNIC) also bounced. That would mean that the upcoming games mentioned in recent post titled "[Fwd: PIN #06]" are not going to see the light of day? Or is that the European branch and only 21st Century USA has folded? Best, -Martin [ To quit the Pinball Simulation mailing list, send the message ] [ "unsubscribe pinsim" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Marek Wylon Subject: RE: [PS] 21st Century Date: 17 Nov 1998 11:02:31 +0100 Hello, According to information I possess 21st Century still exists and = operates. But they have "small" problems with Internet provider. If you = want to confirm this information contact with Peter Mason = (pjmason@ibm.net) the owner of 21st Century. Good luck. Regards, Wojciech Wylon Programmer Gaymede Technologies http://ganymede.com.pl [ To quit the Pinball Simulation mailing list, send the message ] [ "unsubscribe pinsim" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Bryan Fitzhugh Subject: [PS] Timeshock! compatibility Date: 17 Nov 1998 07:28:33 -0600 (CST) Hey all, I have the win95 version of timeshock! and was wondering if there's some compatibility issues when running this on winNT. It loads up and plays fine, but the screen is very dark and can't be fixed by increasing monitor settings or timeshock! settings as far as I can tell. Anyone know what's up? -Bryan Fitzhugh -fitzhugh@uiuc.edu [ To quit the Pinball Simulation mailing list, send the message ] [ "unsubscribe pinsim" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Dan Arkkelin" Subject: Re: [PS] Timeshock! compatibility Date: 17 Nov 1998 08:50:32 -0600 good question--i've been wondering the same thing about windows98, which i have. i had a hard time getting it installed (had problems with *both* the windows and DOS installation). i downloaded and installed both 1.07 patches--didn't help with the DOS version, it now runs inconsistently in windows (i.e., the computer slows down in midgame and "hangs" completely sometimes). anyone else have these problems and solved them? Daniel Arkkelin, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, IN 46383 Tel: 219.464.544 / Fax: 219.464.6878 mailto:Daniel.Arkkelin@valpo.edu ----- Original Message ----- Sent: Tuesday, November 17, 1998 7:28 AM >Hey all, > > I have the win95 version of timeshock! and was wondering if >there's some compatibility issues when running this on winNT. It loads up >and plays fine, but the screen is very dark and can't be fixed by >increasing monitor settings or timeshock! settings as far as I can tell. >Anyone know what's up? > >-Bryan Fitzhugh >-fitzhugh@uiuc.edu > > >[ To quit the Pinball Simulation mailing list, send the message ] >[ "unsubscribe pinsim" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] > [ To quit the Pinball Simulation mailing list, send the message ] [ "unsubscribe pinsim" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Sam Gabrielsson Subject: RE: [PS] 21st Century Date: 17 Nov 1998 16:28:43 +0100 >According to information I possess 21st Century still exists and operates. But they have "small" problems with Internet provider. If you want to confirm this information contact with Peter Mason (pjmason@ibm.net) the owner of 21st Century. Good luck. Just wanted to add that that is what I've heard too... [ To quit the Pinball Simulation mailing list, send the message ] [ "unsubscribe pinsim" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Champie Subject: Re: [PS] Timeshock! compatibility Date: 17 Nov 1998 17:17:50 GMT The GFX in Timeshock! are pretty dark, so its nothing to do with NT. In fact the only real disadvantage to running the game on NT, is that because of the way DirectSound works, the sounds effects lag behind a little. Champie - Cunning Developments [ To quit the Pinball Simulation mailing list, send the message ] [ "unsubscribe pinsim" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Gregory A. Swarthout" Subject: [PS] [Fwd: Wildfire Studios Newsletter #1, 17-Nov-1998] Date: 17 Nov 1998 11:53:38 -0700 This is a multi-part message in MIME format. --------------ECD7619CAB90C8803D518C5A Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit --------------ECD7619CAB90C8803D518C5A Content-Type: message/rfc822 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline Envelope-to: gregorys@xmission.com Received: from [203.18.94.4] (helo=artemis.bit.net.au ident=majordom) by mail.xmission.com with esmtp (Exim 2.04 #1) id 0zfgQa-0006a9-00; Tue, 17 Nov 1998 01:24:00 -0700 Received: (from majordom@localhost) by artemis.bit.net.au (8.8.8/8.8.8/Debian/GNU) id LAA28249 for newsletter-outgoing; Tue, 17 Nov 1998 11:28:55 +1000 Received: from prometheus (port052.bit.net.au [203.62.185.52]) by artemis.bit.net.au (8.8.8/8.8.8/Debian/GNU) with SMTP id LAA28239 for ; Tue, 17 Nov 1998 11:28:50 +1000 Message-Id: <199811170128.LAA28239@artemis.bit.net.au> X-Sender: vh10060@wildfire.com.au X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Pro Version 4.0 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Sender: owner-newsletter@wildfire.com.au Reply-To: majordomo@wildfire.com.au Hi, Welcome to the first Wildfire Studios Newsletter! You're receiving this either because you've contacted Wildfire at some point regarding "Balls of Steel", or because you submitted your email address to WorldScores in relation to a BOS score posting. First off, let me assure that you don't need to receive this again if you don't wish to - instructions on unsubscribing are at the end of the newsletter. Also, your email address won't be made available to anyone else. We don't intend to flood you with email on this newsletter; you can expect perhaps half a dozen emails a year. The newsletter is intended to keep you informed of the latest updates and fixes available for our games, as well as expansion packs or new projects we're working on, and any other important news. --- BOS on WorldScores is shutting down --- You may have noticed recently that WorldScores is no longer accepting postings for BOS (as of 15th November). This is the result of a decision by our publisher not to renew the license for using WorldScores with BOS. We're sorry that this is the case, but there isn't much we can do about it - we've tried to keep the service going for as long as we can, but it's no longer viable for us to continue. Thanks to Chris Flynn at WorldScores, the rankings will remain available for searching for a short time, so you can take note of your current best scores. --- Changes to the Wildfire website --- Keep an eye on our website over the next week; we're just about finished on a whole new look. There will also be some information there about a new table we're working on... The new website will include the latest Scitech video drivers, as well as all the previous versions that have been available for use with BOS. --- DirectX support for BOS --- We're currently working on a version of BOS which includes DirectX support for the display. This should allow those players with recent video cards, particularly AGP cards, to play the game without further video driver hassles. This will be released shortly as part of a version 1.2 update for BOS. --- Unsubscribing --- If you wish to unsubscribe from this newsletter at any time, just send an email to which has the line: "unsubscribe newsletter" (without the quotes) in the body of the email. Note that it must be in the body; putting it in the subject line will have no effect. If you have any difficulties, please contact me directly at the address below. --- If you have any comments or questions, please don't hesitate to contact us at Seeya, Joel :) Joel Finch Wildfire Studios Pty Ltd http://www.wildfire.com.au --------------ECD7619CAB90C8803D518C5A-- [ To quit the Pinball Simulation mailing list, send the message ] [ "unsubscribe pinsim" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ]