Gottlieb SS Recreation FP Gladiators (Gottlieb, 1993) Custom Physics v1.2

Francisco666 created a wonderful reproduction of Gottlieb's 1993 Gladiators table. I created a custom physics version to upgrade the physics of the original table that I think is limited by Physics 1.0. I hope everyone enjoys the Custom Physics version of this table as much as I have enjoyed Francisco's original table. The Zed version of the table plays too fast for me so I thought that others might like to have this version for an alternative. This version also fixes a few problems as well.

If you have never tried this table, you really should try it now. It has a unique shot. You can use the upper left flipper to shoot the ball up the right ramp which is a standard shot. The other option is to hit the ball with the upper left flipper while you raise and hold up the upper right flipper before you hit the ball. It can be deflected into a short lane under the flipper that leads to a kicker that Gottlieb calls the "Abyss". I can't say have ever seen a lane placed under a flipper like this. I actually spent a great deal of time adjusting the strength, starting angles and swing of both upper flippers and a few other changes to optimize both of these shots. Of course, you won't always make either shot even though I optimized them the best I could. I have watched all the videos of Gottlieb's actual table that I could find and noticed that this shot is not always made on the real world table either. In fact, I think that these shots and game play of the table in general is fairly realistic.

I found a problem with the right ramp. The ball was hitting something that made it deflect slightly and it would not make it all the way up the ramp. I wasn't able to figure out the cause and asked Wild for help. Wild found that the ball was hitting a corner of the ramp so I moved an existing invisible wall to go partially up the ramp that prevents the ball from hitting the corner. This makes the ball go up the ramp much more smoothly now. Wild also solved another problem. When making the shot under the upper right flipper, the ball would sometimes fly over the "Abyss" kicker and then travel down the right lane that Gottlieb calls the "I" lane. Wild added a trigger that temporarily activates an invisible wall to make the ball stay in the kicker. This is a quite ingenious solution and you won't even notice it working. Wild also fixed the ball getting stuck on the gate when the ball travels down the right "I" lane by adding another invisible wall.

After I created the custom physics version of the table, I sent it to Miownkhan to get his opinion. He said he thought it played too slow and so I created another slightly faster version. He decided to edit the *.xml file and created his own version. After I incorporated some minor changes, I liked it better than my faster version. So, I decided to provide both my slower version and Miownkhan's faster version so the end user can have a choice as to which version of physics they want to use. If you are interested in the most realistic game play, I think Miownkhan's faster version is most like the physics of the original Gottlieb table.

There are a few other things I fixed as well. When I launched the ball, it would frequently hit the back wall very hard, bounce back and roll down the right "I" lane. I made some adjustments to the table and the *.xml file to reduce the strength of the plunger so this rarely occurs now. Another problem I found after I launched the ball is that after it left the kicker at the top of the launch lane, it would enter into a enclosed area where there are 3 bumpers and it would bounce around in this area almost endlessly. I was able to fix this so it rarely occurs now by adjusting the strength settings of the objects in this area. I also optimized the strength, starting angles and swing of both main flippers to better aim and hit targets on the lower part of the table. Of course, I also changed the strength settings on the kickers, slingshots and other objects to work with the custom physics. I verified that these setting work well with both versions of the *.xml files.

Francisco released the table with Day, Night and LEDWiz versions of the table. He also had high and low quality texture library files. I am providing these same options in this version. I noticed Francisco used the Day version of the translite on the Night version of the table, so I created a night version of the translite.

I would like to thank Wild and Miownkhan for their assistance in modifying Francisco's table.

The download includes a `PLEASE READ THIS FIRST.txt file that has instructions for handling the files in the download. Also please note that this table requires that you have Better Arcade Mode (BAM) installed. If you do not have BAM installed, please follow the directions that are posted here:

GoPinball.com • View topic - Step-By-Step Instructions for Installation of BAM

Pushing the Pinball limits...One pixel at a time

www.gopinball.com

This table is a mod of :
Gladiators 1.0

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Updated 1.2 Day version by THAD

1. Adjusted Surface40 (clear) and 14 above the top right flipper to more closely match original table.

2. Adjusted post position and removed rubber wrapping around both posts below top right flipper, and replaced with single rubbers on each post to match original table.

4. Adjusted position of small metal post just above popup kicker and corrected to a small rubber size to match original table.

5. Adjusted wire guide on left side of 'I' lane to match original table.

6. Adjusted script Catapult Ramp rotation speed (increased) and added slowing effect at left and right arc stops to match original table movement. (just like lever pivot attached to catapult motor does on original table)

NOTE: Catapult still needs further scripting adjustment and event start and stop tweaks to match original table specs.

7. Adjusted script Shooter lane skillshot light timing to completely match timing of original table.

8 Adjusted Plunger strength to match new factory spring strength and mimic skillshot timing to original factory setting. (releasing ball with max plunger when Spell Weapon light begins to turn on gets Begin Pyramid Round)

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The download includes a slightly edited version of Gottlieb's rule sheet that has the objects of the table identified on an annotated screen shot. I also inserted cut outs of the screen shot into different sections of the text to help identify the area of the table being discussed.

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